weeder

See also: Weeder

English

Etymology

From weed +‎ -er.

Noun

weeder (plural weeders)

1. An agricultural worker who removes weeds.
   • 1764, Duhamel du Monceau, translated by Philip Miller, The Elements of Agriculture, volume 1, page 265:

     If these plants are young, the weeders do not see them; and in this case, when they grow larger, the land must be again weeded. But the small plants, which are not less prejudicial, such as the wild Fitch, the wild Oat, Darnel, Fennel-flower, Knot-grass, Restharrow, Fox-tail, the several sorts of Bindweed, (Convolvulus) and all the small Poppies, remain in the field.

   • 1778, T. S., “Proposals for raising Female Regiments”, in The Lady's Magazine Or Entertaining Companion for the Fair Sex, volume 9, page 584:

     That strength of body is often equal to the courage of mind implanted in the fair sex, will not be denied by those who have seen the water-women of Plymouth; the female drudges of Ireland, Wales, and Scotland; the fish-women of Billinsgate; the weeders, podders, and hoppers, who swarm the fields; and the lowest beings of the feminine gender wo swagger in the streets of London.

   • 2011, Marjorie Sandor, The Late Interiors: A Life Under Construction, →ISBN:

     Help me to become a pure waterer, weeder, and deadheader of our little plot, to mature from manic bride and bonnarder to the calm, the jen, of deep and ancient garden wifedom.

2. A tool used to remove weeds.
   • 2007 July 26, Anne Raver, “Recognizing Those Who Keep Brooklyn in Bloom”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     (She told me I must buy a swoe, a long-handled weeder sold by Fiskars, that changed her life.)

3. (education) Ellipsis of weeder class / weeder course.
   • 2024 September 16, Opinion Department, “TIAS | It’s Time to Weed Out Weeder Courses”, in The Cornell Daily Sun‎^[2]:

     Weeders are often the first barrier to entry into certain professional careers for students. The most famous example is being “weeded-out” of the pre-med track.

Derived terms

• Cape Cod weeder
• weeder class / weeder course

Anagrams

• reweed

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From Old High German wedar, from Proto-West Germanic *hwaþar, from Proto-Germanic *hwaþeraz. The vowel was influenced by German weder. The expected Luxembourgish form would be *wieder; dialectally it is also widder by merger with unrelated widder (“against”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈveːder/, [vˈeːdɐ]

Conjunction

weeder

1. neither
2. Vill Kanner kënne weeder liesen nach schreiwen.

   Many children can neither read nor write.

North Frisian

Alternative forms

• wååder (Mooring)
• Weeter (Sylt)

Etymology

From Old Frisian weter. Cognates include Saterland Frisian Woater and West Frisian wetter.

Noun

weeder n (plural weedern)

1. (Föhr-Amrum) water

   warem weeder ― warm water

   köögin weeder ― boiling water