A person who lives in a cottage, especially a rural laborer or peasant who occupied a cottage as part of their employment.
From 'cottage' + agent suffix '-er' (one who). Cottage comes from 'cot' (small dwelling) with the French diminutive suffix '-age.'
Cottagers were the backbone of medieval and early modern rural economies—they worked lords' lands in exchange for a cottage, making the word both a place and a social class status that determined your entire life prospects.
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