Etymologically
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senator

Etymology and origin of the English word senator

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1205
Borrowed from
Old French senateur via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Latin (senex)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈsen.ə.tə/, US /ˈsen.ə.t̬ɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English senatour,[2][3] borrowed from Old French senateur, senator,[2][3][4] from Latin senātor (“member of the senate”),[2][3] from senatus “senate”,[3] from senex “old; old man”,[2] from Proto-Indo-European *sen- (“old”).[2] It is related to senate, senior and senile.[2][4] Etymonline notes that elder would be the native equivalent, and Old English could express the idea with folcwita.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A member of the Roman senate: about 1205 in the OED,[5] about 1200 in Etymonline.[2]

Semantic evolution

In papal Rome the civil governor of the city bore the title from the 12th century, recorded in English about 1290.[5] A member of any governing body or parliament is from 1387,[5] the late 14th century in Etymonline,[2] and more vaguely a statesman or counsellor from about 1400.[5] A member of a senate in other ancient states is from 1586.[5] In Scotland a Senator of the College of Justice is a Lord of Session, from 1540.[5] The title of a member of the United States Senate is from 1788.[5][2] The feminine senatress is from 1731.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1205 – a Roman senator.[5]
  • c. 1290 – in papal Rome.[5]
  • 1387 – a member of a parliament.[5]
  • 1540 – a Scottish Lord of Session.[5]
  • 1731 – senatress.[2]
  • 1788 – a United States senator.[5][2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A member of a senate, as of the United States or ancient Rome.

Word family

  • senatorship

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 l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Senator.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/senator. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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