The -aster suffix

Filed under: Maledicta
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The OED Word of the Day is historiaster, defined as An inferior or mediocre historian. This gives me a chance to write about the aster suffix, which is a favorite of mine, and which I don’t use often enough. It’s just a derogatory suffix indicating inferiority: a poetaster is a terrible poet; a medicaster is a terrible doctor (something a bit different, I think, from a quack); an astrologaster is … an astrologist. But it’s a great opportunity for a refined dig at an enemy. People have described their (obviously inferior) enemies as militasters, musicasters, scientasters, and even complementasters. I think it’s a bit petty, honestly, to criticize someone for making lame compliments, but also it does seem to take the e and not the i in its admittedly infrequent usage, which seems even odder. I could complain, but at the risk of being called a philologaster or even a grammaticaster, or I suppose if we were criticizing my use of the Greek roots, a Classicaster. So, instead of either complementaster or complimentaster, I will prefer the term encomiaster.

I like the idea of a criticaster, but I have to wonder how low one would have to sink to be described as a punditaster. I mean, just being wrong and boring wouldn’t be enough, would it? I suppose one could be adequate at writing, but terrible at the part of the job that involves going on the talk shows, which would make you a broadcasteraster, wouldn’t it?

Being a bad priest makes you a clericaster and being bad at theology makes you a theologaster, but being bad at heresy makes you a hereticaster. Man, that’s harsh, innit? Being called a heretic, well, there’s a little respect in that. But a hereticaster… stoning that guy is just a waste of perfectly good rocks. Don’t need to tie him to the stake for that sick burn, bro-aster.

Oh, speaking of fratrasters, I don’t see any usage of inferior family words—no matrasters or patrasters or filiasters, avunculasters or sororiasters. A grandmaster is something else.

Thanks,
-Ed.

3 Responses to “The -aster suffix”

  1. -Ed.

    In addition to the OED, I should mention that the Aldrich Dictionary of Phobias and Other Word Families was very helpful in writing this piece.

    Thanks,
    -E.

    reply

  2. -Ed.

    Jed points out, to my shamefaced surprise, that I used the word lame as a general derogatory term in this post. I honestly thought I had broken myself of that terrible habit years ago. It’s particularly embarrassing for me because I specifically deprecated that usage in this blog not two weeks ago.

    I’m sorry for using the word in that way, which is hurtful both directly to those who read it and quite reasonably take insult, and to those who may incorrectly think the usage inoffensive and so later commit the same offense. These things do multiply—I could blame the people who used the word that way all through my youth and twenties, but I’m sure many of them realized long before I did how hurtful it was and have been thoughtful since. I will be more thoughtful, and careful, in future.

    Thanks,
    -Ed.

    reply

  3. Holly

    The first awareness I had that “nazi” isn’t a word we should take in jest any more was a few years ago, when “grammaticaster” was suggested as a replacement for “grammar nazi.” It was my introduction to the “-aster” suffix, too.

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