'auctioneer' originates from the English noun 'auction' + the agent suffix '-eer' (a formation in English from French/Old French suffixes used to indicate a person associated with an action).

'auctioneer' developed in Early Modern English by combining 'auction' (from Latin 'auctio') with the agent-forming suffix '-eer'; forms such as 'auctioner' and 'auctiouner' appeared in Middle English and gradually evolved to 'auctioneer'.

Initially formed to mean 'a person who conducts an auction', and over time it has retained this core meaning while also being used as a verb meaning 'to sell by auction'.