Word of the Day

: September 23, 2008

interloper

noun in-ter-LOH-per

What It Means

: one that intrudes in a place or sphere of activity

interloper in Context

As he watched the startled doe and her fawn dart off into the woods, Nelson felt like an interloper in the forest world.

Did You Know?

When English speakers combined "inter-" with "-loper" in the late 1500s, they already had a word "landloper" (now archaic) for "a person who runs about the land" (in other words, a vagrant). The "-loper" part of "interloper" is related to Middle Dutch and Old English words meaning "to run" and "to leap." An "interloper" is essentially one who jumps into the midst of things without an invitation to do so. In its earliest uses, "interloper" referred specifically to one who interfered in trade illegally -- that is, a trader who trespassed on the rights or charters of others. Sometimes "interloper" even referred to a ship employed in illegal trading. But the word quickly took on extended use, coming to refer not just to intrusion in trade but also in personal affairs or other matters.