Aggressee

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or entity on the receiving end of aggressive actions is referred to as a victim in a conflict
2. Someone who is the target of hostile or aggressive behavior in a conflict
3. An individual or group that experiences unwelcome aggressive actions directed at them

Etymology: "Aggressee" is built from "aggress," a verb borrowed from Latin "aggredi," which meant "to step toward" or "to approach." The attacking sense came later. The Latin word combined "ad-" ("toward") with "gradi" ("to step"), so its root idea is movement toward something, and hostility was only one possible outcome of that movement. The ending "-ee" comes from Anglo-Norman French "-é," a passive suffix that marks the person who receives an action. English uses it in "employee," "payee," and "trainee," where the -ee word names the one acted upon rather than the one acting. "Aggressee" follows that pattern, pairing with "aggressor" to name the person on the receiving end of an attack. It is a formal coinage in the sense that it was built from existing parts to fill a gap, not inherited from an older word.

Synonyms: victim, target

Antonyms: aggressor, attacker