Requiters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Those who reciprocate an action or feeling; individuals who make return payments or give something in response; people who respond in kind to favors or kindnesses received
2. Persons who repay or respond equivalently to others' deeds or sentiments; agents that give back in exchange for what they receive; those who return gratitude or compensate in like manner
3. Entities that provide a corresponding action or reward after receiving one; actors who answer with an equal gesture or value; individuals who fulfill obligations by returning similar treatment or benefits

Etymology: "Requiters" is the plural of "requiter," a noun formed by adding the agent suffix "-er" to the verb "requite." The verb itself came into English from Latin roots, and the "-er" ending has a longer ancestry of its own. That suffix traces back through Old English "-ere," which marked a person who performs an action, and before that to Latin "-arius," a suffix denoting an agent or occupation, as in words such as "scholar"-type formations. The "-arius" element passed through Old French "-ier," and Middle English then adopted the sound into the "-er" form still used today. The result is a plain, transparent formation: someone who requites, or pays back, whether a kindness or an injury. The plural simply adds "-s" to the agent noun, so the word describes several such people or agents at once.

Synonyms: responders, reciprocators, retaliators, returners, repliers

Antonyms: initiators, provokers