Why is liar spelled with an a

Since liar shares an A with Benedict A rnold, a figure in American history infamous for falsehood, you can always remember that a liar is one who speaks things that are untrue. Is it lier or liar? Even though lier and liar both refer to one who lies , the verb to lie has different senses.

If you are ever unsure which word to use, you can recall that liar and Benedict Arnold are each spelled with the letter A. Benedict Arnold told many falsehoods before betraying his countrymen, so you can use this memory tool to link liar with falsehood in your mind.

In summary, a lier lies down, while a liar tells lies, like Benedict Arnold. Lier is a noun. As you can see, the pair also functions as the same part of speech. How to Use Liar in a Sentence Liar definition: The noun liar means a person who tells lies, or one who has a reputation as a liar.

Contents 1 Liar vs. Gist vs. Jist — How to Use Each Correctly. Login vs. See the full definition for liar in the English Language Learners Dictionary. Nglish: Translation of liar for Spanish Speakers. Britannica English: Translation of liar for Arabic Speakers. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up. Save Word. Definition of liar. Synonyms for liar Synonyms fabricator , fabulist , fibber , prevaricator , storyteller Visit the Thesaurus for More.

Examples of liar in a Sentence She called him a dirty liar. The spelling in -ar has been occasional from 14th c. Very common in north. And in modern Eng.

These include words like bursar, mortar, vicar. Compare Beguine. Early folk etymology connected the English word with bag. Form with -ar attested from 14c. So it started off with the -ar, got turned around to -er, and went back again. There is no good reason for it, it just turned out that way.

Examples [of historical relics in English that can reward contemplation] are evident at every turn. Let me cite one of the less evident ones: the ending -ar in beggar , burglar and pedlar. In our words of Old English origin the usual ending for agent is -er , and in words borrowed from Latin it is -or ; what then of this deviant -ar?

Looking up origins, we find that historically beggar , burglar and pedlar are not even formed from verbs; there was no question of an agent ending. The three nouns came first, from other sources.

Afterward we derived the verbs beg , burgle and peddle from them by "back-formation", subtracting the -ar as if it had been an agent ending. Robusto has the answer, however, to magnify a little, beggar is probably not, as we might assume, derived from the verb "to beg" as with many of the other examples you give.

On the contrary, the verb is derived from the noun. So normal formation would not be expected. Also from Etymonline:. A parallel might be helpful. We have the word "burglar" as someone who breaks in an steals. In the UK the verb that is used for this action is "to burgle" -- as in "my house was burgled. The difference derives from the fact the the original word is the noun, and the verbs are back formed from it using two different methods of back formation.

The intrusive -l- is perhaps from influence of Latin latro "thief" see larceny. The native word, Old English burgh-breche, might have influenced the word. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top.