Consignors

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or entity that sends goods to another party for sale or distribution
2. an individual responsible for transferring ownership of products for business engagements
3. a supplier who delivers items to a consignee with an agreement on the terms of sale or delivery

Etymology: "Consignors" is the plural of "consignor," and the word is a plain English construction: "consign" plus the agent suffix "-or," meaning one who consigns. The verb "consign" came into English from Latin "consignare," which combined "con-" (together, with) and "signare" (to mark or seal), so the core idea is to mark or seal something as belonging to a particular destination. Over time, that sense of formally assigning goods to someone widened into the commercial practice of sending merchandise to an agent for sale. The suffix has a longer pedigree than the word itself. The "-or" ending descends from Latin "-tor" and "-ator," which formed nouns for doers of actions, passed through Old French "-eor" into Middle English as "-our," and eventually settled into the modern spelling. English uses this suffix freely, so "consignor" slots neatly beside older formations such as "donor" and "lessor," both built the same way on the agent-noun pattern.

Synonyms: shippers, senders, suppliers, vendors, exporters

Antonyms: consignees, receivers, importers, buyers, recipients