Etymologically
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player

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 19:46. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈpleɪ.ə/, US /ˈpleɪ.ɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English pleiere, inherited from Old English plegere (“one who takes part in pastimes”),[2][3][4] an agent noun from plegan (“to play”), the source of play, with the suffix -er.[2][5][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who plays, in a general sense: Old English plegere, about 1000;[6][5] the OED notes that the Old English example seems to be a glossator's mistranslation.[6]

Semantic evolution

One who takes part in a game, such as chess or tennis, is recorded from about 1420,[6] and of table games from the late 14th century according to Etymonline.[2] A contestant in field or martial games is from the early 15th century.[2] A gambler is a player from 1483.[6] The stage senses, “actor” and “one who plays a musical instrument”, are from about 1400,[2] or 1463 in the OED.[6] William Taylor distinguished in 1813 between an actor and a mere player who takes to the stage for a living.[2] A professional cricketer or golfer, as opposed to an amateur, was a player from 1806.[6] Player piano is from 1901.[2] A pimp's word for himself, also playa, is attested from 1974.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1000 – Old English plegere.[6]
  • c. 1400 – an actor; a musician.[2]
  • c. 1420 – one who plays a game.[6]
  • 1483 – a gambler.[6]
  • 1806 – a professional cricketer.[6]
  • 1901 – player piano.[2]
  • 1974 – slang, a pimp or womanizer.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who takes part in a game or sport.
  2. A gambler.
  3. An actor.
  4. A person who plays a musical instrument.
  5. An active participant: a key player in the talks.
  6. A device that plays recorded sound or video.

Word family

  • cardplayer
  • horseplayer
  • nonplayer
  • superplayer
  • bit player
  • piano player
  • player piano
  • record player
  • play
  • playful
  • playwright

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press