Unnumbered source etymology
Original entry ↗noun
Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventorySomeone who institutes a legal suit; a plaintiff or complainant. · Someone acting on behalf of someone else; a guardian. · Someone or something that takes part in some action; a doer, an agent. · A person who acts a part in a theatrical play or (later) in film or television; a dramatic performer.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti Proto-Italic *agō Latin agō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Latin -tus 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”).
Relationships mentioned by the source
These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.
This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.
Inspect preserved source fields
Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.
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"args": {
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"2": ":inh",
"3": "enm:actour",
"4": ":afeq",
"5": "act",
"6": "-or<id:agent noun>",
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\"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"ācta\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"act\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"acte\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"act\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"id\" : \"agent noun\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : [ \"enm\", \":bor\", \"fro:-eor\" ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-our\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" }, { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"lbor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Learned borrowing from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : { \"1\" : \"la\", \"2\" : \":inh\", \"3\" : \"itc-pro:*-tōr<id:agent nouns>\", \"id\" : \"agent nouns\" }, \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-tor\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"lbor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-or\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"afeq\", \"is_invisible\" : \"all\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"actor\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"actor\">"
},
{
"name": "root",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*h₂eǵ-",
"id": "drive"
},
"expansion": ""
},
{
"name": "yesno",
"args": {
"1": "",
"2": "i",
"3": "I"
},
"expansion": "I"
},
{
"name": "glossary",
"args": {
"1": "Inherited"
},
"expansion": "Inherited"
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
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"2": "enm",
"3": "actour",
"4": "",
"5": "",
"lit": "",
"pos": "",
"tr": "",
"ts": "",
"id": "",
"sc": "",
"g": "",
"g2": "",
"g3": "",
"nocat": "",
"sort": ""
},
"expansion": "Middle English actour"
},
{
"name": "inh+",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "actour"
},
"expansion": "Inherited from Middle English actour"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "xno",
"3": "actor"
},
"expansion": "Anglo-Norman actor"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "frm",
"3": "actor"
},
"expansion": "Middle French actor"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la",
"3": "āctor",
"4": "",
"5": "doer"
},
"expansion": "Latin āctor (“doer”)"
},
{
"name": "suffix",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "act",
"3": "or"
},
"expansion": "act + -or"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "grc",
"2": "ἄκτωρ",
"3": "",
"4": "leader"
},
"expansion": "Ancient Greek ἄκτωρ (áktōr, “leader”)"
},
{
"name": "etymon",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": ":inh",
"3": "enm:actour",
"4": ":afeq",
"5": "act",
"6": "-or<id:agent noun>",
"tree": "1"
},
"expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-\nProto-Indo-European *-eti\nProto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti\nProto-Italic *agō\nLatin agō\nProto-Indo-European *-tós\nProto-Italic *-tos\nLatin -tus\nLatin āctus\nProto-Indo-European *-tōr\nProto-Italic *-tōr\nLatin -tor\nLatin āctorbor.\nMiddle English actour\nEnglish actor"
}
],
"links": [
[
"*h₂eǵ-",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂eǵ-#Proto-Indo-European:_drive"
],
[
"*-eti",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-eti"
],
[
"*h₂éǵeti",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂éǵeti#Proto-Indo-European:_be_driving"
],
[
"*agō",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/agō#Proto-Italic:_drive"
],
[
"agō",
"ago#Latin:_act"
],
[
"*-tós",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-tós#Proto-Indo-European:_verbal_adjectives"
],
[
"*-tos",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-tos#Proto-Italic:_verbal_adjectives"
],
[
"-tus",
"-tus#Latin:_past_participle"
],
[
"āctus",
"actus#Latin:_made"
],
[
"*-tōr",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-tōr#Proto-Indo-European:_agent"
],
[
"*-tōr",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-tōr#Proto-Italic:_agent_nouns"
],
[
"-tor",
"-tor#Latin:_agent_nouns"
],
[
"āctor",
"actor#Latin"
],
[
"actour",
"actour#Middle_English"
],
[
"actour",
"actour#Middle_English"
],
[
"actor",
"actor#Old_French"
],
[
"actor",
"actor#Middle_French"
],
[
"āctor",
"actor#Latin"
],
[
"agō",
"ago#Latin"
],
[
"act",
"act#English"
],
[
"-or",
"-or#English"
],
[
"ἄκτωρ",
"ἄκτωρ#Ancient_Greek"
],
[
"ἄγω",
"ἄγω#Ancient_Greek"
]
],
"references": [],
"descendants": [
{
"lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
"lang_code": "gd",
"word": "actair",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
]
},
{
"lang": "Welsh",
"lang_code": "cy",
"word": "actor",
"raw_tags": [
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]
}
],
"lexical": [
{
"pos": "noun",
"glosses": [
"Someone who institutes a legal suit; a plaintiff or complainant.",
"Someone acting on behalf of someone else; a guardian.",
"Someone or something that takes part in some action; a doer, an agent.",
"A person who acts a part in a theatrical play or (later) in film or television; a dramatic performer."
],
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],
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