Invitees

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The people to whom invitations are sent for an event are referred to as guests
2. Individuals who are designated to receive invitations for a gathering or event; the persons identified to participate in a social occasion through formal requests; those who are invited to join a celebration or meeting as honored guests
3. Those who receive formal requests to attend a specific occasion are described as participants invited to join the gathering

Etymology: The plural "invitees" is simply the plural of "invitee," which names a person who has been sent an invitation. The word is built from "invite" and the suffix "-ee," which in English turns a verb into a noun for the person on the receiving end of the action, as in "employee" (someone employed) or "trainee" (someone being trained). The "invite" part traces back through Old French and Latin to a root meaning to summon or ask someone to come. The "-ee" ending was borrowed from Old French "-ee," itself descended from Latin "-atus," a suffix forming past participles, and it entered English during the Middle Ages, giving English speakers a productive way to coin new nouns for those acted upon. The result is a word whose ending quietly tells you the person is the recipient, not the one doing the inviting.

Synonyms: guests, attendees, invitees

Antonyms: hosts, non-invitees