Offeror

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɔfəɹɚ/

Definitions

1. A party that makes a proposal for an agreement, often providing specific terms for consideration by another participant in a transaction
2. An individual or entity that initiates a proposition by stating terms for acceptance in a contractual or transactional context
3. Someone who extends a formal proposal outlining conditions to another party for mutual agreement

Etymology: The word "offeror" is built from "offer" plus the agent suffix "-or", which English took from Latin "-or" and "-ātor" through Old French. "Offer" itself descends from Latin "offerre", "to bring before", a compound of "ob-" (toward) and "ferre" (to bring), so an offeror is literally one who brings something forward for another person to take. The suffix carries the older history. Its strands run back through Latin "-tor" and "-ātor", which marked a person who performs an action, and the same ending gave English words like "actor" and "creator". The chain reached English through Middle English "-our" and "-er", and "-or" with the spelling that survives in "offeror" reflects the Latin and Old French forms rather than the Old English endings.

Synonyms: proposer, bidder, suggestor, presenter, donor