Rapporteur

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɹæ.pɔːˈtɜː/

Definitions

1. A designated representative responsible for summarizing and conveying findings from discussions to relevant parties
2. A person appointed to report on and communicate the outcomes of meetings or discussions to interested stakeholders
3. An individual chosen to summarize and relay the conclusions of various deliberative processes to the appropriate audience

Etymology: The rapporteur is a figure who appears in parliaments, committees and international bodies, and the name is simply French for "reporter." It comes from the French verb "rapporter," meaning "to bring back" or "to report," which in turn traces to Latin "reportare," the same root behind English "report." The suffix "-eur" is the French agent ending, marking the person who performs the action, so a rapporteur is literally one who brings back a report. The French form passed through Old French and Middle French before settling into its modern spelling, and English borrowed it directly from French. The English word keeps the French spelling and pronunciation, which is why the final syllable sounds like "tur" rather than an English "-er."