English Online Dictionary. What means actor? What does actor mean?
English
Alternative forms
- acter (uncommon)
- actour (obsolete)
Etymology
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
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈak.tə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈæk.tɚ/
- Homophone: acter
- Rhymes: -æktə(ɹ)
Noun
actor (plural actors, feminine actress, or (nonstandard) actoress)
- (obsolete, law) Someone who institutes a legal suit; a plaintiff or complainant. [13th–19th c.]
- (obsolete) Someone acting on behalf of someone else; a guardian. [14th–18th c.]
- Someone or something that takes part in some action; a doer, an agent. [from 15th c.]
- A person who acts a part in a theatrical play or (later) in film or television; a dramatic performer. [from 16th c.]
- (obsolete, Ancient Rome) An advocate or proctor in civil courts or causes. [16th–19th c.]
- (grammar) The subject performing the action of a verb. [from 18th c.]
- (software engineering) The entity that performs a role (in use case analysis).
Usage notes
- 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
- (person who performs in a theatrical play or film): performer, player
- (one who acts): doer
- (one who takes part): participant
- (a plaintiff): complainant, plaintiff
- (entity performing a role in use case analysis): role
Antonyms
- (antonym(s) of "grammatical role"): undergoer
Hyponyms
- (person who performs in a theatrical play or film): actress
- enactor
- reenactor
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
- → Scottish Gaelic: actair
- → Welsh: actor
Translations
Further reading
- “actor”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “actor”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “actor”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Anagrams
- Cator, Croat, Croat., carto-, rocta, taroc
Asturian
Etymology
From Latin āctor.
Noun
actor m (plural actores)
- An actor.
Related terms
- actriz
Catalan
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin āctōrem.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (Central, Balearic) [əkˈto]
- IPA(key): (Valencian) [akˈtoɾ]
Noun
actor m (plural actors, feminine actora)
- (sociology) actor, agent (person who does an action)
- maker, author (e.g. of a law)
- (law) plaintiff
- (law) legal entity who is party to a contract
Noun
actor m (plural actors, feminine actriu)
- (theater, film) actor
Related terms
- actuar
Further reading
- “actor” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
Dutch
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin āctor.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɑk.tɔr/
- Hyphenation: ac‧tor
- Rhymes: -ɑktɔr
Noun
actor m (plural actores or actoren, diminutive actortje n)
- An actor; an agent, a player, who has a part in some field of economical, social or other action, i.e. an active human factor.
Related terms
- acteur
- actie
- activiteit
- agenda
- agens
- ageren
- agitatie
- agitator
- reactor
Galician
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /akˈtoɾ/
Noun
actor m (plural actores, feminine actriz, feminine plural actrices)
- actor
Further reading
- “actor” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.
Latin
Etymology
Agent noun formed from āctus + -tor, perfect passive participle of agō (“do, act, make”).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈaːk.tor/, [ˈäːkt̪ɔr]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈak.tor/, [ˈäkt̪or]
Noun
āctor m (genitive āctōris, feminine āctrīx); third declension
- a doer, an agent
- An actor (person who performs in a theatrical play or movie).
- A (law) prosecutor, plaintiff, advocate, orator.
Declension
Third-declension noun.
Related terms
- āctiō
- āctrīx
- āctus
- agitō
Descendants
References
- “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’s 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[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
- “actor”, in The Perseus Project (1999) Perseus Encyclopedia[2]
- “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
Noun
actor
- Alternative form of actour
Occitan
Etymology
From Latin āctor.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /atˈtu/
Noun
actor m (plural actors, feminine actritz, feminine plural actrises)
- An actor.
Portuguese
Noun
actor m (plural actores)
- Pre-reform spelling (until Brazil 1943/Portugal 1990) of ator. Still used in countries where the agreement hasn't come into effect; may occur as a sporadic misspelling.
Romanian
Alternative forms
- aftor — dated
Etymology
Borrowed from French acteur, Latin āctor.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /akˈtor/
Noun
actor m (plural actori, feminine equivalent actriță or actoriță)
- (acting) An actor.
- Synonyms: artist, interpret
Declension
Derived terms
- actoraș
- actoricesc
- actorie
See also
- teatralist
References
- actor in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)
Scots
Etymology
From English actor.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈaktər/
Noun
actor (plural actors)
- An actor.
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin actor.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aɡˈtoɾ/ [aɣ̞ˈt̪oɾ]
- Rhymes: -oɾ
- Syllabification: ac‧tor
Noun
actor m (plural actores, feminine actriz, feminine plural actrices)
- actor (person who performs in a theatrical play or movie)
Derived terms
Related terms
Noun
actor m (plural actores, feminine actora, feminine plural actoras)
- (law) defendant
Further reading
- “actor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Anagrams
- corta
- tocar
Welsh
Etymology
From English actor.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈaktɔr/
- Rhymes: -aktɔr
Noun
actor m (plural actorion)
- (acting) actor
Coordinate terms
- (gender): actores (“actress”)
Related terms
- actio (“to act”)
Mutation
References
- 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