Subscriber

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /səbˈskɹaɪbɚ/

Definitions

1. An individual who signs up to receive a service or product ; a person who regularly pays to receive a publication or other ongoing service
2. Someone registered to access or use a service ; an individual who maintains a paid membership for magazines, newspapers, or digital content
3. A person who enrolls for access to a service or system ; a person who commits to receiving and paying for a publication or service over time

Etymology: The word is a plain formation: "subscribe" plus the agent suffix "-er", meaning one who subscribes. "Subscribe" comes from Latin "subscribere", literally "to write under", built from "sub" ("under") and "scribere" ("to write"). Writing one's name beneath a document to sign or endorse it was the original sense, and the notion of putting one's name down to promise money to a cause or publication came later. The "-er" ending has a long pedigree. It descends from Latin "-arius", which passed through Old French "-ier" and reached Middle English as "-er", the same ending found in words like "baker" and "teacher". Attaching it to "subscribe" gave a ready label for anyone who had signed up to pay for something, which is why the word is now used for the regular paying customer of a magazine, service, or club.

Synonyms: member, enrollee, contributor

Antonyms: non-subscriber