Auctioneer is a noun meaning "a person who conducts sales by auction". Historically, it is from auction + -eer. Auction comes from Latin auctio ('an increasing, public sale'), from augere ('to increase'). The visible construction is part of the etymology: auctioneer is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The modern meaning, "a person who conducts sales by auction", follows the base word through the added English ending. The historical chain links Latin auctio, Latin augere, and Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg-. Close English family members include auctioneering, auction, and auctionable.