hunter-gather

Back-formation from hunter-gatherer.

hunter-gather (third-person singular simple present hunter-gathers, present participle hunter-gathering, simple past and past participle hunter-gathered)

1. (ambitransitive) To be a hunter-gatherer; to hunt (animals) and gather (edible plants) for food.
   • 2003 January 25, Victoria Coren, “Shoes better than sex? Don’t be so silly”, in The Observer‎^[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 May 2014:

     A study from the University of Utah (surely one of the middle-American desert's most respected seats of learning) finds that prehistoric man only managed to hunter-gather at the rate of one large animal per month.

   • 2006 March 19, Christine Muhlke, “Cross-Country Dining”, in The New York Times‎^[2], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 9 June 2021:

     [T]he last of the wild Colorado elk was hunter-gathered by a table of wine-tasting bankers.

   • 2020 June 16, Sarah Vine, “SARAH VINE: I've learned the things that matter don't have a price tag”, in Daily Mail‎^[3], London: DMG Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 15 July 2020:

     Deprived of the freedom to hunter-gather at will across the great open plains of the British High Street, I’ve learned much of what I need I already possess in my metaphorical cave.

Final -er removed by haplology after hunter.

hunter-gather (plural hunter-gathers)

1. Nonstandard form of hunter-gatherer.
   • 2002 November 10, Michael Pollan, “An Animal's Place”, in The New York Times Magazine‎^[4], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2 April 2010:

     Native Americans and other hunter-gathers would give thanks to their prey for giving up its life so the eater might live (sort of like saying grace).

   • 2013 August 28, Melissa Pandika, “Ancient farmers and hunter-gathers may have traded pigs, study finds”, in Los Angeles Times‎^[5], Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 August 2025:

     Trading livestock might have represented “an initial step for domestication” in hunter-gatherer societies, [Ben] Krause-Kyora said.

   • 2024 January 24, Nilima Marshall, “Diet of ancient Andes hunter-gatherers was 80% plant-based, study finds”, in The Independent‎^[6], London: Independent News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 January 2024:

     He [Randy Haas] also said it is theoretically possible that hunter-gathers such as the Andeans were meat-based to start with and the “transition to a plant-based diet happened much more quickly than previously thought”.