One who chaws; a person who chews, particularly someone who habitually chews tobacco or betel nut.
Formed from 'chaw' (to chew) plus the agent suffix '-er' (one who does something). The word follows standard English word formation patterns dating back to Old English, where '-er' creates occupational and habitual agent nouns from verbs.
The simple suffix '-er' is one of English's hardest workers—it turns any verb into 'someone who does that,' which is why you can invent 'chaver' by analogy even if it's not in the dictionary, and speakers will understand you instantly.
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