attacker
UK: əˈtækə | US: əˈtækər
n. a person or entity that initiates an aggressive action, especially in conflict or competition
n. (sports) a player whose primary role is to score or advance toward the opponent's goal
The word "attacker" combines the verb "attack" (from Old French ataquer, meaning "to assault") with the agentive suffix "-er," which denotes a person performing an action. The root "attack" traces back to the Italian attaccare (to join battle), influenced by Germanic stak- (to strike). The suffix "-er" is a productive English morpheme derived from Old English -ere, used to form nouns indicating roles (e.g., "teacher," "runner"). Together, "attacker" logically evolved to mean "one who attacks."
The defender blocked the attacker before they could reach the goal.
Cybersecurity experts identified the IP address of the attacker.
In chess, the queen is often the most powerful attacker.
The journalist interviewed a survivor of the terrorist attacker.
The hacker acted as an anonymous attacker in the data breach.