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announcer

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Etymology and origin of the English word announcer

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1549 R. Wyer's translation of Christine de Pisan
Ultimate origin
Latin nūntius
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English announce
English announcer

Pronunciation

  • UK: /əˈnaʊnsə/[1]
  • US: /əˈnaʊnsɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English announce + -er.[2][3][4] The OED compares annonceur (15th century), found as Old French anoncieres about 1190.[2] The verb announce comes from Middle English announcen and Old French anoncier, from Latin annūntiō (“to make known, bring news to”), from ad- and nūntiō (“to report”), from nūntius (“messenger”).[5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person who makes something publicly known: ?1549, in R. Wyer's translation of Christine de Pisan.[2] Etymonline dates the sense "declarer, proclaimer" to the 1610s, Merriam-Webster to about 1611 and Dictionary.com to 1605–15.[3][6][4]

Semantic evolution

The broadcasting sense, a person who introduces programmes and reads news or advertisements on the radio, is recorded from 1922 in Radio Broadcast,[2][3] and Dictionary.com dates the radio use to 1920–25.[4] It was later extended to television and to commentary on sports events,[2] and Merriam-Webster includes the announcer's role in giving station identification and signalling the control room.[6]

Timeline

  • ?1549 – a person who makes news publicly known.[2]
  • c. 1611 – Merriam-Webster's first known use.[6]
  • 1922 – a person who introduces radio programmes.[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A person who introduces programmes, reads news or advertisements, or gives commentary on radio or television.[7][6][2]
  2. A person who makes an announcement: The announcer at the station called the delayed train.[7][2]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Announcer.” Etymologically, 26 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/announcer. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·