presenter

Etymology

It was formed from English present + -er in English, from the verb present and the agent suffix -er.^[2][3][4][5] Merriam-Webster also records a less common spelling presentor, from the earlier presentour, which came presenter (“to present”) with the suffix that became -or.^[6] The verb goes back through French to praesentō (“to show, present”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person who offers something as a gift, a donor: about 1443, in Reginald Pecock's Reule of Crysten Religioun;^[2][7] Etymonline dates the form presentour to the mid-15th century, for one who formally introduces a royal personage or presents a document or legal charge.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Most early senses follow the senses of the verb: in law, from about 1503, a person who makes a presentment in court;^[2][7] from 1509 one who formally introduces someone, especially at court;^[2][4] from 1544 one who presents a cleric to a benefice, or a candidate for a degree;^[2][7] and, from 1559, one who presents a petition, bill or cheque.^[2] Philip Sidney used it for an actor who represents a character on the stage, a sense now archaic.^[2][7] Johnson (1755) defined it simply as one that presents.^[8] The broadcasting sense, a person who introduces a radio or television programme, is recorded in the OED from 1959^[2][7] and in Etymonline from 1967;^[3] it is the usual British word where American English generally says host.^[9][4]

Timeline

• c1443 – a giver of a gift.^[2]
• c1503 – (law) one who makes a presentment in court.^[2]
• a1509 – one who formally introduces someone.^[2]
• 1544 – one who presents a person to a benefice or office.^[2]
• 1559 – one who presents a petition, bill or cheque.^[2]
• a1586 – an actor, in Sidney's Arcadia.^[2]
• 1959 – the presenter of a radio or television programme.^[2][7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. (chiefly British) A person who introduces a radio or television programme and links its items; a host: She became a presenter on a children's channel.
2. A person who formally gives something, such as an award or prize, to someone.
3. A person who gives a talk or presentation to an audience.
4. A person who presents a petition, bill or cheque, or who presents someone for an office or degree.

Related words

• present
• presentation
• host
• anchor

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c d e f Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
8. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins