Exercitant

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual who engages in physical activity or practices a skill regularly
2. Someone involved in the performance of exercises or repetitive training
3. A person who actively takes part in exercising or practicing for improvement

Etymology: In Latin, "exercitans" was the present participle of "exercitare," a frequentative form of "exercere," meaning to keep someone or something busy at a task. A participle is a verb form that works like an adjective, so the original sense was closer to "one who is being kept at work" than to a fixed noun. The English noun keeps that sense of active, ongoing practice. The term is most closely tied to the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, a structured program of prayer and meditation used in Catholic retreats. There, an exercitant is the person who makes the retreat, as distinct from the director who guides it. The meaning is broader than religious use, though. It applies to anyone who carries out a set routine of drills or repeated practice, which is why the word can describe a trainee in a regimen as readily as a retreatant.

Synonyms: practitioner, trainee, candidate