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actor

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti
Proto-Italic *agō
Latin agō
Latin āctus
Proto-Indo-European *-tōr
Proto-Italic *-tōr
Latin -tor
Latin āctorbor.
Middle English actour
English actor

    Inherited from Middle English actour, from Anglo-Norman actor, Middle French actor, and their source, Latin āctor (“doer”), from agō (“to do”). Equivalent to act +‎ -or. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἄκτωρ (áktōr, “leader”), from ἄγω (ágō, “lead, carry, convey, bring”).

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    actor (plural actors)

    1. (obsolete, law) Someone who institutes a legal suit; a plaintiff or complainant. [13th–19th c.]
    2. (obsolete) Someone acting on behalf of someone else; a guardian. [14th–18th c.]
    3. Someone or something that takes part in some action; a doer, an agent. [from 15th c.]
      • 1769, William Blackstone, Commentaries on the laws of England‎[1]:
        A man may be principal in an offence in two degrees. A principal, in the first degree, is he that is the actor, or absolute perpetrator of the crime; and, in the second degree, he who is present, aiding, and abetting the fact to be done.
      • 1792, Charlotte Smith, Desmond, Broadview, published 2001, page 373:
        Never, my dear Bethel, did the most feverish dreams of fiction produce scenes more painful, or more terrific, than the real events to which I have been an actor, since the date of my last letter.
      • 1852 February 8, “Reminiscences”, in The Daily Union (Washington)‎[2], page 2:
        Mr. Clay had been too prominent an actor in public affairs to allow whig deception and misrepresentation a fair opportunity for successful action.
    4. A person who acts a part in a theatrical play or (later) in film or television; a dramatic performer. [from 16th c.]
      • 1991, Ani DiFranco, “Anticipate”, in Not So Soft:
        Seems like everyone's an actor / Or they're an actor's best friend / I wonder what was wrong to begin with / That they should all have to pretend
      • 2017 April 2, “Marijuana”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 4, episode 7, John Oliver (actor), via HBO:
        Exactly. Marijuana is something we just all gradually decided is okay, like Mark Wahlberg as a serious actor. “You know what? Sure, I’ve decided I’m fine with that.”
      • 2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 88:
        "I'm an actress -- actor, as we have to say these days."
    5. (obsolete, Ancient Rome) An advocate or proctor in civil courts or causes. [16th–19th c.]
    6. (grammar) The subject performing the action of a verb. [from 18th c.]
    7. (software engineering) The entity that performs a role (in use case analysis).

    Usage notes

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    • In the sense of a person who acts in a play or film, the traditional sense of the word only applied to male actors, the term actress being used for the female counterpart.

    Synonyms

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    Antonyms

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    • (antonym(s) of “grammatical role”): undergoer

    Hyponyms

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    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    • → Scottish Gaelic: actair
    • → Welsh: actor

    Translations

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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked
    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked‌: "translations given to non-existing sense "one who takes part in a situation"

    Further reading

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    Anagrams

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    Asturian

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    Etymology

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    Borrowed from Latin āctor.

    Noun

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    actor m (plural actores)

    1. actor
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    Catalan

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    Etymology

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    Borrowed from Latin āctōrem.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    actor m (plural actors, feminine actora, feminine plural actores)

    1. (sociology) actor, agent (person who does an action)
    2. maker, author (e.g., of a law)
    3. (law) plaintiff
    4. (law) legal entity who is party to a contract

    Noun

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    actor m (plural actors, feminine actriu, feminine plural actrius)

    1. (theater, film) actor
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    Further reading

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    Dutch

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    Etymology

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    Borrowed from Latin āctor. Doublet of acteur.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    actor m (plural actores or actoren, diminutive actortje n)

    1. actor; agent, player (who has a part in some field of economical, social or other action, i.e., an active human factor)
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    Galician

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    Alternative forms

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    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /atˈtoɾ/ [at̪ˈt̪oɾ]
    • Rhymes: -oɾ
    • Hyphenation: at‧tor

    Noun

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    actor m (plural actores, feminine actriz, feminine plural actrices)

    1. actor
      A acción revela o actor.
      The act reveals the actor

    Further reading

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    Latin

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    Etymology

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      Agent noun formed from āctus +‎ -tor, perfect passive participle of agō (“do, act, make”).

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      āctor m (genitive āctōris, feminine āctrīx); third declension

      1. doer, agent
      2. actor (person who performs in a theatrical play or movie)
      3. (law) prosecutor, plaintiff, advocate, orator

      Declension

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      Third-declension noun.

      singular plural
      nominative āctor āctōrēs
      genitive āctōris āctōrum
      dative āctōrī āctōribus
      accusative āctōrem āctōrēs
      ablative āctōre āctōribus
      vocative āctor āctōrēs
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      Descendants

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      References

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      • “actor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
      • “actor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
      • "actor", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
      • “actor”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
      • Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎[3], London: Macmillan and Co.
        • the actor who plays the leading part: actor primarum (secundarum, tertiarum) partium
      • “actor”, in The Perseus Project (1999), Perseus Encyclopedia‎[4]
      • “actor”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
      • “actor”, in William Smith, editor (1848), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray
      • “actor”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

      Middle English

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      Noun

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      actor

      1. alternative form of actour

      Occitan

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      Etymology

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      Borrowed from Latin āctor.

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      actor m (plural actors, feminine actritz, feminine plural actrises)

      1. actor

      Portuguese

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      Noun

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      actor m (plural actores)

      1. pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1990 in Portugal) of ator; still used where the agreement hasn’t come into effect and may occur as a sporadic misspelling

      Further reading

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      Romanian

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      Alternative forms

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      Etymology

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      Borrowed from French acteur, Latin āctor.

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      actor m (plural actori, feminine equivalent actriță or actoriță)

      1. (acting) actor
        Synonyms: artist, interpret

      Declension

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      singular plural
      indefinite definite indefinite definite
      nominative-accusative actor actorul actori actorii
      genitive-dative actor actorului actori actorilor
      vocative actorule actorilor

      Derived terms

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      See also

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      References

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      Scots

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      Scots Wikipedia has an article on:
      Wikipedia sco

      Etymology

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      Borrowed from English actor.

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      actor (plural actors)

      1. actor

      Spanish

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      Etymology

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      Borrowed from Latin āctor.

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      actor m (plural actores, feminine actriz, feminine plural actrices)

      1. actor (person who performs in a theatrical play or movie)

      Derived terms

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      Noun

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      actor m (plural actores, feminine actora, feminine plural actoras)

      1. (law) defendant

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      Anagrams

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      Welsh

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      Etymology

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      Borrowed from English actor.

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      actor m (plural actorion)

      1. (acting) actor

      Coordinate terms

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      • (gender): actores (“actress, actor (female)”)
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      Mutation

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      Mutated forms of actor
      radical soft nasal h-prothesis
      actor unchanged unchanged hactor

      Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
      All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

      References

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      • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “actor”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
      Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=actor&oldid=89564364"