Etymologically
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senator

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 23:08. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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