one who is employed to saw wood
"The hired sawyer spent his morning cutting logs into planks at the edge of the forest."
any of several beetles whose larvae bore holes in dead or dying trees especially conifers
"The forester carefully inspected the rotting pine logs, hoping to spot a sallow-colored sawyer beetle hiding among the bark."
One who saws timber, especially in a sawpit.
"The sullen sawyer spent his entire shift sharpening blades and cutting logs in the cramped sawpit."
In plain English: A sawyer is someone who cuts wood with a saw, often to build things or make firewood.
"The experienced sawyer cut down old trees to build new fences for the farm."
Usage: The term is archaic and rarely used today; prefer the modern occupation title "lumberjack" or simply "logger." Avoid confusing this noun with the verb form when referring to someone who cuts wood professionally.
An occupational surname, from occupations for someone who made a living from sawing wood.
"The local genealogy club discovered that Sawyer was indeed an occupational surname derived from the trade of sawing wood."
The word sayer comes from the combination of the Old English noun saw and a suffix meaning "one who does something," directly describing someone who uses a saw. It entered Middle English as an agentive term for a person engaged in cutting with a saw, eventually becoming the standard spelling to distinguish it from other similar forms.