Donor and Donate Are Related Backwards
A donor is someone who gives. The verb donate was formed from the noun rather than the other way round.
A donor is a person who gives something, especially money, blood or an organ. The usual pattern in English is that a verb produces its agent noun — a *teacher* teaches. Here it ran backwards: *donor* and *donation* came first from Latin, and the verb *donate* was built from them in nineteenth-century American English, which some British writers resisted at the time as an ugly invention. The same back-formation gave *edit* from *editor* and *burgle* from *burglar*.
- One who gives. *An anonymous donor.*
- Blood or organ donor. *An organ donor.*
- Donate — to give. *Donate to charity.*
- Donation — the gift. *A generous donation.*
- Donee — the recipient, in law. *The donee.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | donor | A major donor. |
| Plural | donors | Regular donors. |
| Verb | donate | Donate blood. |
| Noun | donation | A donation. |
| Latin | donare | To give. |
- The gallery thanked its donors.Philanthropy.
- She is a registered organ donor.Medicine.
- Donate was formed from donation.Word history.
Verbs made from nouns
- Donate — from donation and donor
- Edit — from editor
- Burgle — from burglar, British
- Burglarize — the American alternative, also from burglar
- Enthuse — from enthusiasm, still disliked by some
Anglo-French *donour*, from Latin *donator*, from *donare*, to give, from *donum*, a gift. The verb *donate* is a nineteenth-century back-formation.
Is donate a real word?
Yes, though it was criticised as an American invention in the 1800s. It is now entirely standard.
What is a donee?
The legal term for the person who receives a gift, the counterpart of the donor.