Teacher
nounA person whose job is to instruct others, especially in a school.
How to spell teacher
7 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce teacher
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does teacher mean?
- nounA person whose job is to instruct others, especially in a school.
Teacher in a sentence
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The maths teacher explained the formula on the whiteboard.
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Every teacher at the school received training over the summer.
Where does teacher come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
The word teacher is built on the native English verb teach, which descends from the Old English tæcan, meaning to show, to point out, or to instruct. That verb is closely related to the Old English tacen, meaning a sign or token, since teaching was originally thought of as showing someone the right marks or signs to follow. The agent suffix -er, also of Germanic origin, was added to mean a person who teaches, a pattern English uses freely (baker, writer, builder). The form teacher began appearing in Middle English and settled into its modern spelling well before the modern era. The spelling trap lies in the ea vowel and the silent ending: it sounds like -cher but is written -cher with the same ea as in teach.
How the word is built
- teach (from Old English tæcan: to show, instruct)
- -er (agent suffix: one who does)
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