hunter
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All four describe creatures or people that pursue other animals, but they differ in method and scope. A hunter is the broadest term: it covers any person or animal that tracks and kills game for food, sport, or trade. A huntsman is a more specific and traditional role — in British fox-hunting culture, the huntsman is the person who manages the hounds during the chase, not necessarily the one who shoots the animal. A trapper catches animals using mechanical devices such as snares or cage traps, usually for fur or pest control rather than sport. A predator is always a non-human animal (or figuratively a person in business) that hunts other creatures as part of its natural feeding behaviour. For example, 'Walid's grandfather was a hunter who shot deer for meat, while a trapper up the valley caught foxes for their fur. The wolf, by contrast, is a pure predator that kills only to eat.'
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'hunter' comes from Old English 'huntian' (meaning 'to chase game'), combined with the agent suffix '-ere' (meaning 'person who does something'). It has been used since before the 12th century to describe someone who pursues wild animals. The general sense of 'someone who searches for something' (as in 'bargain hunter') appeared in the late 19th century and has since become very productive in compound nouns.
First known use
13th century
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a