Covenantee

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The person or party to whom a formal promise, agreement or covenant is given, as the beneficiary of its terms
2. The one who receives a binding pledge or contractual obligation made by another party in a legal or religious agreement
3. A recipient of a solemn undertaking, the party in whose favour a covenant under law or scripture has been formally entered

Etymology: "Covenantee" is a formal legal and religious term for the party to whom a covenant, or binding promise, is made. It is built from "covenant" and the suffix "-ee," which in English marks the person on the receiving end of an action, as in "employee" or "payee." Put together, the word simply names the one who receives the promise, in contrast with the covenantor, who makes it. The base word "covenant" has a longer history. It came into English from Anglo-Norman and Old French "covenant," meaning an agreement or compact, ultimately from the Latin "convenire," to come together or agree. The sense of a solemn bond between parties is what gave later theological and legal usage its weight, so a covenantee sits at the receiving end of a relationship that can carry serious obligations on both sides.