How are common names for ethers formed from their alkyl groups?

Common names for ethers are formed by identifying the two alkyl or aryl groups bonded to the central oxygen atom and adding the word ether to the end of the name.

Current naming conventions typically list these alkyl groups in alphabetical order, such as in t-butyl methyl ether. Older naming practices, however, often listed the groups in increasing order of size, as seen in methyl t-butyl ether. If only one alkyl group is specified in the name, it implies that the two groups attached to the oxygen are identical, such as in the case of ethyl ether (which refers to diethyl ether).1