Origin: French suffix -ier
Amplifier has 2 different meanings across 1 category:
electronic equipment that increases strength of signals passing through it
"The guitarist plugged her instrument into an amplifier to make her sound louder during the concert."
Anything that amplifies, or makes something larger or more intense.
"The tiny microphone connected to a large amplifier made her quiet voice fill the entire concert hall."
In plain English: An amplifier is an electronic device that makes sounds, music, or other signals much louder by increasing their power.
"He connected his guitar to an amplifier so everyone could hear him clearly during the concert."
Usage: An amplifier specifically increases the power of an electrical signal to drive speakers, whereas it is not used metaphorically to describe general growth like a synonym such as "booster" might imply in casual speech. Use this term for electronic devices that make sound louder rather than physical objects or abstract concepts becoming larger.
The word amplifier is formed by adding the suffix "-er" to the verb amplify. It entered English as a straightforward construction to describe a device that increases signal strength.