Addressees

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals or entities that are the intended recipients of a communication or message
2. Groups or persons who are specifically targeted for receiving information or correspondence
3. People or organizations to whom information or messages are directed

Etymology: "Addressees" is the plural of "addressee," a word built from "address" plus the suffix "-ee," which in English marks the person who receives an action. An addressee is therefore the one who is addressed: the recipient of a letter, message, or speech. The suffix came into English from Old French "-ee" (from "-é," with the Latin "-atus" ending behind it), and it was attached to many verbs to name someone on the receiving end, as with "employee" or "payee." The noun "address" has a more roundabout past. It traces to Old French "adrecier," meaning to set something straight or direct it toward a goal. That verb grew out of Vulgar Latin "dīrēctiāre," a descendant of Latin "dīrēctus," "made straight," which combined "dis-" with "rectus." The Latin root meaning "straight" is also behind "correct" and "rectangle," so an address was originally a way of pointing something straight at its target.