foreigner

From Middle English forner, foreyner, foroner, forenere, augmentation of earlier forein (“foreigner”), from the adjective. Equivalent to foreign +‎ -er. Use of the -er suffix may be due to analogy with Middle English straunger (“stranger”). Displaced native Old English elþēodiġ.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfɒɹ.ɪ.nə(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔɹ.ɪ.nɚ/
• (New York City) IPA^(key): /ˈfɑɹ.ɪ.nɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: for‧eign‧er

foreigner (plural foreigners)

1. A person from a foreign country.
   • 1912, “An-hui”, in Northern China, The Valley of the Blue River, Korea‎^[1], Hachette & Company, →OCLC, page 358:

     In the midst of the neck, the Great Orphan rock surmounted by a stûpa. — Beyond, the Northern ramifications of the Lu Shan, one of whose upper valleys is a Summer resort (Ku-ling) for the families of foreigners residing in the Blue River basin, (See CHIANG-HSI, R. 2).

   • 1971 October 6, Alberto R. Oliva, “The American Sense of Guilt”, in The New York Times‎^[2]:

     For a student of American history and a foreigner like myself, it is easier to understand all these extremisms of conscience.

2. A private job run by an employee at a trade factory rather than going through the business.

• (person from a foreign country): alien, metœcus, outlander, outsider, stranger; see also Thesaurus:foreigner

• foreign
• furriner