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suit·or

(stər)

1. One who courts another.

2. A person who makes a petition or request.

3. Law A person who sues in court; a plaintiff; a petitioner.

4. A person or entity trying to acquire a controlling interest in a company, as by purchasing sufficient shares of its stock.

[Middle English, plaintiff, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin secūtor, follower, from secūtus, past participle of sequī, to follow; see sek^w-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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