actor

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a person who performs in plays, films, or television

   He is one of the most famous actors in the country.

2. 2
   noun

   a person or group that takes part in a situation or action

   Several major actors were involved in the peace talks.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Actor originally meant simply “a doer,” especially an agent or administrator; its theatrical sense appeared in the mid-16th century. It ultimately comes through Latin actus, “thing done,” from agere, “to do” or “to drive.”

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti 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”).

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External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
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