Plural of eater; people or animals that consume food, or things that consume or wear away at something else.
From Old English 'etan' (to eat), one of the oldest words in Germanic languages, plus the agent suffix '-er' (one who does) and plural '-s'. The word has meant 'one who eats' since before the 12th century.
The word 'eater' is beautifully flexible—it can describe a person who loves Thai food, a caterpillar munching leaves, or rust eating away at metal. English lets one simple word do all that work!
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