One who chaws; a person who chews, especially someone who habitually chews tobacco.
From 'chaw' (to chew) plus the agent suffix '-er'. The word emerged in English as tobacco use became common and needed specific vocabulary to describe its practitioners.
During the 1800s, American saloons divided their social hierarchies by chawer versus smoker—chawers were often considered the rougher working class, creating slang insults and social distinctions around different tobacco habits.
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