Etymologically
Log in

receiver

Etymology and origin of the English word receiver

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1330

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɹɪˈsiː.və/ (UK); /ɹəˈsi.vɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English receyvour, receivere,[2] an agent noun from receive,[3] or from Old North French *receivour, Old French recevere (modern receveur), from receivre, to receive, and -our.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

An official appointed to receive money due, a treasurer: about 1330;[4] as a surname from the mid-13th century, probably in the sense government clerk.[3] One who receives, a recipient, before 1340.[4]

Semantic evolution

A receiver of stolen goods, or one who knowingly harbours criminals, is from the mid-14th century,[3] and Middle English also had receitour in this sense.[3] A receptacle or container is from the late 14th century.[3] In hunting, the huntsman who brings down the deer is from about 1400.[4] A person appointed by a court to manage the property of a bankrupt is from 1793.[4] The telephone receiver is from 1877, a radio receiver from 1891,[3] and in American football the player who catches a pass from 1897.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1330 – an official collecting money.[4]
  • mid-14th century – a receiver of stolen goods.[3]
  • 1793 – a court-appointed receiver.[4]
  • 1877 – a telephone receiver.[3]
  • 1891 – a radio receiver.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person or thing that receives something; a recipient.
  2. The part of a telephone, radio or television that receives signals and turns them into sound or pictures.
  3. A person appointed by a court to manage the property of a bankrupt or property in dispute.
  4. (chiefly British) A person who receives stolen goods knowing them to be stolen.
  5. (American football) A player who catches passes.

Word family

  • receivership
  • wide receiver

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Receiver.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/receiver. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·