Advocator

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual who champions a certain cause, actively supports a specific belief, and promotes a particular idea or group
2. A person who advocates for a designated principle, stands up for a chosen policy, and defends a specific viewpoint
3. Someone who publicly supports or argues in favor of a particular cause or belief

Etymology: "Advocator" is simply "advocate" with the agent suffix "-or" added to it. The suffix came into English through Old French from Latin "-tor", the ending that turned verbs into words for the person who performs the action, so an advocator is one who advocates. The base word "advocate" comes from Latin "advocatus", meaning someone called to aid another, usually in a legal setting, and the Latin "-tor" ending is itself traceable back to a much older Indo-European source. The same suffix appears in many familiar English words, such as "actor", "creator" and "governor", which lets the form "advocator" sit comfortably beside "advocate" as a second name for the same kind of person. Its history is therefore plain: a long-established noun paired with a common agent ending, with no single coiner or dramatic shift in meaning to report.

Synonyms: supporter, proponent, advocate, champion, defender

Antonyms: opponent, critic, adversary, detractor, enemy