Reciters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who speak aloud literary or sacred texts, often highlighting inflection and rhythm
2. Persons who vocalize written works or passages for an audience, emphasizing expression and clarity
3. Individuals who present literature or speeches out loud, often using tone and pace to enhance meaning

Etymology: "Reciters" is the plural of "reciter", a word built from "recite" and the agent suffix "-er". The verb "recite" came into English from Old French "reciter", which descends from Latin "recitare", meaning to read aloud or repeat from memory. Its root "citare" meant to summon or set in motion, so the Latin verb carried the sense of calling something forth again into the open. The suffix is the more traceable part of the story. "-er" entered English through Middle English "-er" from Old French "-ier", which in turn came from Latin "-arius", a suffix that marked a person connected with a task or trade. Old English had its own "-ere" doing similar work, so English speakers encountered two streams of the same ending that merged over time. Adding it to "recite" produced a plain name for anyone who performs that act.

Synonyms: reader, speaker, narrator, orator, performer