corrector

English

Alternative forms

• correctour (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English corrector, correctour, equivalent to correct +‎ -or.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

corrector (plural correctors)

1. One who corrects.
   • 1790 November, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, and on the Proceedings in Certain Societies in London Relative to that Event. […], London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC:

     Wisdom is not the most severe corrector of folly.

   • 1812–1818, Lord Byron, “(please specify |canto=I to IV)”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. , London: John Murray,, stanza [HTTP://WWW.GUTENBERG.ORG/FILES/5131/5131-H/5131-H.HTM 130]:

     Time! the corrector where our judgments err,
     The test of truth, love,—sole philosopher,
     For all beside are sophists, […]

   • 1942, Emily Carr, “Characters”, in The Book of Small, Toronto, Ont.: Oxford University Press, →OCLC:

     A family we knew had one of those “Papa's-sister” Aunts who took it upon herself to be a corrector of manners not only for her own nieces but for young Canadians in general.

2. (obsolete) A proofreader.
   • 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica; a Speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England, London: [s.n.], →OCLC:

     Seeing therefore those who now possess the employment by all evident signs wish themselves well rid of it; and that no man of worth, none that is not a plain unthrift of his own hours, is ever likely to succeed them, except he mean to put himself to the salary of a press corrector; we may easily foresee what kind of licensers we are to expect hereafter, either ignorant, imperious, and remiss, or basely pecuniary.

     read online

   • 1770, Philip Luckombe, A Concise History of the Origin and Progress of Printing‎^[1], London: J. Johnson, published 1771, pages 440–41:

     To have a competent knowledge of what has been recited, besides a quick and discerning eye, are the proper accomplishments by which a Corrector may raise his own and his Master's credit: for it is a maxim with Booksellers, to give the first edition of a work to be done by such Printers whom they know to be either able Correctors themselves, or that employ fit persons, though not of Universal learning, and who know the fundamentals of every Art and Science that may fall under their examination.

3. (obsolete) A director or governor.

Derived terms

• corrector magnet
• correctorship
• correctress
• political corrector
• Schmidt corrector plate

Catalan

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin corrēctor, from corrigō (“I correct”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ku.rəkˈto]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ko.rəkˈto]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ko.rekˈtoɾ]

Adjective

corrector (feminine correctora, masculine plural correctors, feminine plural correctores)

1. correcting

Noun

corrector m (plural correctors, feminine correctora, feminine plural correctores)

1. (education) proofreader
2. (publishing) copy editor

Noun

corrector m (plural correctors)

1. (cosmetics) concealer
2. (graphic arts) correcting fluid
3. (computing) corrector, correction software (of spelling or grammar)
4. (nutrition) supplement, regulator

   Synonym: premescla

Derived terms

• corrector ortogràfic

Related terms

• correcte
• corregir

Further reading

• “corrector”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
• “corrector” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “corrector” in termcat, Centre de Terminologia, 2025.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin corrēctor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌkɔˈrɛk.tɔr/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cor‧rec‧tor
• Rhymes: -ɛktɔr

Noun

corrector m (plural correctoren or correctors)

1. corrector

Related terms

• correcteur

Descendants

• → Indonesian: korèktor

Latin

Etymology

From corrēctus.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [kɔrˈreːk.tɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [korˈrɛk.t̪or]

Noun

corrēctor m (genitive corrēctōris); third declension

1. corrector, improver, reformer

Declension

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	corrēctor	corrēctōrēs
genitive	corrēctōris	corrēctōrum
dative	corrēctōrī	corrēctōribus
accusative	corrēctōrem	corrēctōrēs
ablative	corrēctōre	corrēctōribus
vocative	corrēctor	corrēctōrēs

Descendants

• Catalan: corrector
• English: corrector
• French: correcteur
• Italian: correttore
• Portuguese: corretor
• Romanian: corector
• Russian: корре́ктор (korréktor)
• Spanish: corrector

References

• “corrector”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “corrector”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "corrector", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• corrector in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Portuguese

Noun

corrector m (plural correctores, feminine correctora, feminine plural correctoras)

1. Pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1990 in Portugal) of corretor. Still used in countries where the agreement hasn't come into effect; may occur as a sporadic misspelling.

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin corrēctōrem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /koreɡˈtoɾ/ [ko.reɣ̞ˈt̪oɾ]
• Rhymes: -oɾ
• Syllabification: co‧rrec‧tor

Adjective

corrector (feminine correctora, masculine plural correctores, feminine plural correctoras)

1. corrective, correcting

Noun

corrector m (plural correctores, feminine correctora, feminine plural correctoras)

1. corrector
2. proofreader

Noun

corrector m (plural correctores)

1. spell checker

   Synonym: corrector ortográfico

Derived terms

• corrector líquido

Related terms

• correcto
• corregidor

Further reading

• “corrector”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10