Competer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who takes part in a contest or vies with others for the same prize or position
2. Someone who contends with another party in a rivalry for a goal, honor, or advantage
3. An individual engaged in a struggle against others for a shared aim or reward

Etymology: Latin "competere" literally meant "to strive together," built from "com-" ("together") and "petere" ("to seek, to aim at"). The same root gives English "petition," a request sought from someone, and "appetite," a desire sought after. In Latin, the verb often meant convergence rather than rivalry: two claims that fell on the same thing, or two things that met at one point, so it could also mean "to be fitting" or "to be due to someone." English "competer" is a rarer relative of "compete" and carries the sense of striving alongside another for the same prize. English took up the rivalry sense, while the Latin sense of things coinciding or suiting one another did not carry over into the English verb.

Synonyms: competitor, rival, contender