Attender

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who is present at or participates in an event, meeting, or gathering
2. An individual who is present at, participates in, or observes a particular event, session, or assembly
3. Someone who goes to or is present at a gathering or occasion

Etymology: "Attender" is a plain formation: the verb "attend" with the agent suffix "-er," so it names one who attends. The verb "attend" came into English through Old French "attendre" from Latin "attendere," meaning "to stretch toward" or "to give heed," from "ad-" ("to") and "tendere" ("to stretch"). The sense "to be present at" grew out of that idea of directing one's mind or steps toward something. The noun was in use in Middle English, where the form "attendere" also appears, and it carried the basic sense of someone who waits upon or is present with another. The "person at events" meaning that dominates modern usage is a narrower application of the same idea: someone who turns up and takes part in a gathering.

Synonyms: participant, attendee

Antonyms: nonattender