donor

[ doh-ner ]
See synonyms for: donordonors on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a person who gives or donates.

  2. Medicine/Medical. a person or animal providing blood, an organ, bone marrow cells, or other biological tissue for transfusion or transplantation: sperm donor; organ donor.

  1. Law. a person who gives property by gift, legacy, or devise, or who confers a power of appointment.

adjective
  1. of or relating to the biological tissue of a donor: donor organ.

Origin of donor

1
1400–50; late Middle English donour<Anglo-French (Old French doneur) <Latin dōnātor, equivalent to dōnā(re) (see donation) + -tor-tor

Other words for donor

Other words from donor

  • do·nor·ship, noun
  • pre·do·nor, noun

Words Nearby donor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use donor in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for donor

donor

/ (ˈdəʊnə) /


noun
  1. a person who makes a donation

  2. med any person who voluntarily gives blood, skin, a kidney etc, for use in the treatment of another person

  1. law

    • a person who makes a gift of property

    • a person who bestows upon another a power of appointment over property

  2. the atom supplying both electrons in a coordinate bond

  3. an impurity, such as antimony or arsenic, that is added to a semiconductor material in order to increase its n-type conductivity by contributing free electrons: Compare acceptor (def. 2)

Origin of donor

1
C15: from Old French doneur, from Latin dōnātor, from dōnāre to give

Derived forms of donor

  • donorship, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for donor

donor

[ nər ]


  1. An atom or molecule that releases one or more electrons to another atom or molecule, resulting in a chemical bond or flow of electric current. Compare acceptor. See also electron carrier.

  2. An individual from whom blood, tissue, or an organ is taken for transfusion, implantation, or transplant.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.