Abandoner

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈbændənɚ/

Definitions

1. A person who chooses to leave behind others or things, often resulting in emotional distress for those left behind
2. An individual who decides to forgo responsibility towards others or obligations, creating a sense of abandonment or neglect
3. A person who willingly relinquishes their connection or duty to someone or something, leading to feelings of loss or rejection

Etymology: "Abandoner" is a plain English formation: the verb "abandon" with the agent suffix "-er," meaning one who does the action. The verb itself came into English in the Middle English period from Old French "abandoner," which meant to give up control or to let go, and which traces back to a Latin phrase "a ban donare," literally "to give over to a ban," where "ban" carried the sense of a proclamation or jurisdiction. So the root idea is handing something over to another's power. The suffix has a longer journey than the word it sits on. The "-er" ending came into English through Middle English from Old French "-ier," which descended from Latin "-arius," a suffix marking a person connected with something. Old English already had its own agent ending, "-ere," which merged with the French form, so English speakers ended up with a single, easily reused tool for turning verbs into nouns for people.

Synonyms: deserter, forsaker, renouncer

Antonyms: adopter, guardian