# thresher

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈθɹɛʃə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #64,061

## Definitions
1. Anything or anyone that threshes.
2. A now-obsolete hand tool for threshing, also called a flail.
3. A modern farm machine for threshing grain, now a part of combine harvesters rather than a separate implement.
4. Ellipsis of thresher shark.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *terh₁-der.?
Proto-Germanic *þreskaną
Old English þrescan
Middle English threschen
Middle English -er
Middle English thresshere
English thresher
From Middle English thresshere; equivalent to thresh + -er. The shark's tail is thought to resemble the implement.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/thresher