The Suffix -or: The Suffix -or, Part 2

Don’t be a procrastinator — learn this list of words, known as agent nouns, referring to people performing an action or a job — all ending in -or.

Here are links to our lists for this collection: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. chancellor
    the person who is head of state (in several countries)
    Guillaume joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany and eventually became a trusted aide to Willy Brandt—who was first the mayor of West Berlin and then rose to become chancellor of West Germany. Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia
    In Latin, a cancellos was a barred window — which gives us the bar as shorthand for the legal profession — that separated the public from judges in a court. The person who stood there, acting as an usher for the court, was known as the cancellarius. Over time this position grew more powerful; some heads of state, as in Germany, bear the title today.
  2. curator
    the custodian of a collection, as a museum or library
    Before her four-year prior tenure as associate curator of prints, drawings and media arts at the National Portrait Gallery, Naeem was a New York assistant district attorney. Los Angeles Times (Oct 19, 2020)
    The cur- in curator comes from the same root as cure, as in "to heal" or "to take care of." In Latin, a curator was a guardian or overseer.
  3. proctor
    someone who supervises (an examination)
    We followed the proctor’s instructions and cleared our desktops of any contraband items, including phones, wallets, and loose paper, leaving only the necessities: No. 2 pencils, calculators and — new this year — hand sanitizer. New York Times (Sep 27, 2020)
  4. progenitor
    an ancestor in the direct line
    “The Perfect Nine” seems to answer that desire, telling the tale of Gikuyu and Mumbi, progenitors of the Gikuyu people. Washington Post (Oct 12, 2020)
  5. prospector
    someone who explores an area for mineral deposits
    Two prospectors in partnership discover a mine of preternatural richness—of gold or diamonds or rubies. Travels with Charley in Search of America
    Prospect- means "to look forward" in Latin — the spect is where we get spectator — and in English it refers to an anticipated event or opportunity. So a prospector is one who searches for opportunity and fortune in the form of minerals or gems.
  6. perpetrator
    someone who commits wrongdoing
    I am the perpetrator of a foolish, deluded crime that became a tragedy. We Were Liars
  7. purveyor
    someone who supplies provisions, especially food
    The brother-and-sister team created an impressive poster that described their entrepreneurial efforts as purveyors of lemonade. The Lemonade War
    A purveyor is a "provider," — both stemming from the same Latin root providere, except that purvey took a detour through French to arrive in English. Today purveyor is most often used to describe shops or their owners.
  8. assessor
    an official who evaluates property in order to tax it
    What you’re requesting are the internal notes and data the assessor used when setting a value for your property. Washington Post (Mar 13, 2017)
  9. transgressor
    someone who violates a law or command
    French citizens who leave home must now carry a document detailing the reasons why, with fines for transgressors. BBC (Mar 17, 2020)
    Ingress and egress are technical terms for "entry" and "exit," and they both come from the Latin gradi, meaning "to step." Trans- means "across," so to transgress is to cross a line, to break a rule, or to color outside the lines.
  10. defibrillator
    electronic device to restore the normal rhythm of the heart
    When a security guard’s wand began beeping, Mr. Baron Cohen improvised that it was because of his defibrillator. New York Times (Oct 17, 2020)
    Muscles are made of fibrils, from the same root as fiber: thin strands. Fibrillation is the irregular twitching of these muscles, particularly in the heart. A defibrillator uses electric current to restore the heart's normal rhythm.
  11. facilitator
    someone who makes progress easier
    A new “facilitator” takes over the therapy group to help rein things in, and keep the therapy rodeo from being overly traumatic to impressionable young minds. Challenger Deep
  12. procrastinator
    someone who postpones work
    Some people find that they are chronic procrastinators, unable to complete any mundane task no matter how vital it may be to their daily functioning. Salon (May 17, 2014)
    Crastinum means "tomorrow" in Latin, so if you put something off until tomorrow, you're a procrastinator.
Created on Mon Oct 19 17:16:16 EDT 2020 (updated Thu Apr 21 09:50:30 EDT 2022)

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