Operator

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɒpəˌɹeɪtə/

Definitions

1. A person who controls or manages a machine, system, or business operation
2. An individual who supervises or manages the functioning of machines, systems, or operations in various contexts
3. A person responsible for the control and management of machinery, systems, or operational processes

Etymology: The English noun "operator" was borrowed from Latin "operātor," a word meaning "worker" or "one who labours," built from the verb "operor," meaning "to work." Its original sense was therefore broad and unglamorous: anyone who performed labour. The modern meaning of a person who runs a machine, telephone switchboard, or piece of equipment narrowed from that general idea of work. The Latin root connects it to the familiar verb "operate," which came into English from the same "operor" stem, so the noun and verb share a foundation. The ending "-or" marks the doer of an action, the same pattern seen in words like "actor" and "inventor," so the word reads as "one who operates."

Synonyms: administrator, manager, controller, handler, executive

Antonyms: subordinate, follower