-pə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from helpen + -er
1. : one that helps
the most idiomatic class of verbs are the helpers — Frederick Bodmer
specifically : an extra locomotive to assist a train (as on a grade)
2. : help 4a ; specifically : a relatively unskilled worker who assists another especially by manual labor
first a helper and then a journeyman — Walter Bernstein
3. usually capitalized , Islam : a member of the ansar — compare companion 4c