suitor

[ soo-ter ]

noun

1. a man who courts or woos a woman.
2. Law. a petitioner or plaintiff.
3. a person who sues or petitions for anything.
4. Informal. an individual who seeks to buy a business.

suitor

/ ˈsuːtə; ˈsjuːt- /

noun

1. a man who courts a woman; wooer
2. law a person who brings a suit in a court of law; plaintiff
3. rare.
   a person who makes a request or appeal for anything

Word History and Origins

Origin of suitor¹

1250–1300; Middle English s ( e ) utor, suitour < Anglo-French < Latin secūtor, equivalent to secū-, variant stem of sequī to follow + -tor -tor

Word History and Origins

Origin of suitor¹

C13: from Anglo-Norman suter, from Latin secūtor follower, from sequī to follow

Example Sentences

Earlier it had seemed that suitor Sam M. – who tried to "keep the main thing the main thing" – had a lock on the title.

From Salon

During Rachel Lindsay's season, they allowed a person with a racist social media history in as a suitor.

From Salon

But there are risks to Paramount’s late-in-the-game flirtation with another suitor.

From Los Angeles Times

The conflict has also erupted at a time when China has ambitions to play a more direct role in international politics and has presented itself as a better suitor for the world than the US.

From BBC

With the joy, however, came a personal loss - a young suitor of Ada’s, Robert Nicholson, a Royal Marine, died of his injuries.

From BBC

Related Words

• admirer
• beau
• boyfriend
• lover
• paramour