Assistor

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who provides assistance or support to someone else
2. Someone who aids another by offering help or backing in an activity
3. An individual acting to give help or support to another person or group

Etymology: "Assistor" is a plain formation: the verb "assist" with the agent suffix "-or" attached, giving a noun for one who assists. The verb "assist" itself came into English from Latin "assistere", meaning "to stand by" or "to stand near", built from "ad" (to) and "sistere" (to stand). The original picture is of someone standing alongside another person, which is close to the sense of the noun today. The suffix "-or" arrived in English through Anglo-French from Latin "-or", the ending used to form nouns denoting a person or thing that performs an action, as in "actor" or "governor". Attaching it to "assist" produces a noun that names the person doing the helping, though it is far less common than "assistant", which has the same role and has long been the usual choice.

Synonyms: helper, aid, supporter, assistant, facilitator

Antonyms: hindrance, obstruction, opponent, adversary, enemy