wheeler en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Middle English whelere, equivalent to wheel + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (measurement suffix) (sense 4). Piecewise doublet of cycler.
Meanings
- (obsolete) A wheelwright, a wheelmaker.
- Someone who operates a wheel.
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(archaic) A wheelhorse (horse near wheel of carriage).
How proud felt Pierre: In fancy’s eye, he saw the horse-ghosts a-tandem in the van; “These are but wheelers”—cried young Pierre—“the leaders are the generations.”
1852, Herman Melville, Pierre; or The Ambiguities:
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(in-compounds) A vehicle having the specified number or type of wheels.
"Excellent," said Sherlock Holmes. "Send the boy for a four-wheeler, and we shall be off at once."
1893, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Greek Interpreter:
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(UK, historical, qualifier:Liverpool) A sett in a stoneway.
These wheelers are now made from the same class of rock as the rest of the pavement, […]
1894, Transactions of the Liverpool Engineering Society, page 109:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| wheelers | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
high-wheeler · two-wheeler · sidewheeler · wheeler-dealer · sternwheeler · paddlewheeler · four-wheeler · ten-wheeler · three-wheeler · 4-wheeler · six-wheeler · wheeler-dealing · single-wheeler · one-wheeler · eighteen-wheeler