Affixes

Most terms are rare or outdated. The only one much found is poetaster (Latin poeta, poet), a person who writes inferior poetry. Rarer examples include criticaster, a minor or inferior critic; philosophaster, a petty philosopher; and politicaster, a petty, feeble, or contemptible politician. Oleaster (Latin olea, olive tree), a small shrub sometimes called the wild olive or Russian olive, was so called because its fruits are like those of the olive. However, the shrub called cotoneaster derives its name from ancient Cydonia (Canea, in Crete). The ending is not active.