Audient

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɔː.dɪ.ənt/

Definitions

1. Being in a state of paying close attention to sounds or speech ; a person who listens to or hears something, especially an audience member
2. Describes someone who is actively focused on hearing or listening ; an individual attending to spoken words or sounds
3. Characterizes a state of attentiveness to auditory information ; someone present to hear or receive information or performance

Etymology: The adjective "audient" is one of those words English borrowed whole from Latin, where "audiens" was the present participle of "audire," "to hear." Its Latin sense stretched from simply hearing to actively attending, and English took over that attentive sense: someone "audient" is listening closely, not merely catching sound. The noun is the more surprising branch. Late Latin "audiens" was the name for a catechumen, a person under religious instruction who was allowed to hear the sermons but not yet take part in the rites of the church. The word thus named a listener defined by who was permitted to hear, and that is the root of the English noun meaning someone who listens, especially a member of an audience. Both uses trace back to the same Latin verb, so the "hearing" that gives the word its meaning runs straight through from ancient Rome to a theatre seat today.