What is the connection between the fact a vehicle has six wheels and the suffix "er" in "six-wheeler" and the suffix "er" in three-pointer?
Is it grammatically correct to use the "er" suffix like that, or is it just street language?
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-er, entry 5: 1b, person or thing belonging to or associated with; 1d, one that has; 1e, one that produces or yields– stangdonCommented Aug 12, 2022 at 11:30
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Four-wheeler is a grammatically correct term for a vehicle with four wheels.– Kate BuntingCommented Aug 12, 2022 at 11:32
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Note that although it's fine to use a three-wheeler as a "condensed" version of a three-wheeled vehicle, it's not remotely idiomatic to derive a four-legger from a four-legged animal, even though semantically, both examples are making exactly the same shift. So don't make too many assumptions about using this construction in other contexts.– FumbleFingersCommented Aug 12, 2022 at 12:03
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Oh - and He's a six-footer doesn't normally mean he has six feet (One at the end of each leg? Only if he's an insect! :) It means he's six feet tall.– FumbleFingersCommented Aug 12, 2022 at 12:07
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There is no 'rule' that enables you to always make a correctly formed '-er' word. Rather, you just learn the ones that you hear or read.– Michael HarveyCommented Aug 12, 2022 at 12:45
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1 Answer
The suffix -er is used in various constructions to form nouns that have some characteristic. You probably know the use of -er to form agent nouns "builder = a person that builds"
They are also used with number-unit expressions to form nouns characterised by that amount.
nine-footer = something that is nine feet long, (eg a boat)
first grader = someone in the first grade of school
"Six-wheeler" follows this use, as does "three-pointer". This is correct grammar.
But it might be fairly informal, as it assumes you understand what kind of thing you are talking about. If you say "What is she -- a 24-footer?" You could be talking about boats or snakes.
So "six-wheeler", like other short forms, tends to be more casual than a longer but clearer "six-wheel truck". Likewise "three-pointer" compared to "three-point shot".
And there is no guarantee that a particular example has much actual use. As mentioned in comments, "four-footer" would not an idiomatic way to refer to an animal with four feet.
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how about "weekender"? I mean it is not optional that someone won't go through weekender, so how to distinct the "weekender" situations? Commented Aug 12, 2022 at 12:34
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@thonyalbuquerque — a “weekender” is someone who is only in a particular place (e.g. a seaside vacation town) for the weekend. “This cottage is perfect for weekenders.” Obviously, all of us will continue to exist somewhere during that weekend. Commented Aug 12, 2022 at 14:05
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I suggest you read through all the examples in the Wiktionary definiotn of -er "six-wheeler" is sense 4, and "weekender" is sense 5.– James KCommented Aug 12, 2022 at 14:20
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@all, based on that source: "britannica.com/dictionary/…" what would the "three-pointer" be most related? Commented Aug 12, 2022 at 19:14