rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: -tor
Latin

-tor

a person or thing that acts

Forms

  • -tor
  • -sor — An altered form in some Latin formations.

Origin

An inherited Latin ending for the performer of an action, with relatives in other Indo-European languages.

Note

Its English descendants name devices and forces as well as people.

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noun

doctor

A person who holds a doctoral degree.

She becomes a doctor of chemistry after defending her thesis.

Etymology
docLatinteach
+torLatina person or thing that acts

The Latin root means to teach, and doctor originally identified a learned teacher. The academic title preserves that association with advanced learning and scholarly qualification.

More examples

  • Doctor Lee teaches mathematics.
  • He holds the title of doctor.
  • The university awarded degrees to its new doctors.

Forms

doctor · doctors