etymology - Why is there an "a" in "beggar"? Why not an "e"?


Why does beggar end in -ar? Many identically sounding words just use -er, if not all.


Examples:



  1. bumper

  2. pepper

  3. tagger

  4. chanter

  5. pegger


They all use the -er version. Also, history shows that beggar was once spelled with an -er: begger.


Why did beggar adopt -ar over -er, and why haven’t other words done the same thing?




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