relator

[ ri-ley-ter ]

noun

1. a person who relates or tells; narrator.
2. Law.
   1. a private person on whose suggestion or complaint certain writs, as a quo warranto, are issued and whose position is analogous to that of a plaintiff.
   2. a party in interest who is allowed to institute a proceeding in the name of a public official when the right to sue rests exclusively in that official.

relator

/ rɪˈleɪtə /

noun

1. a person who relates a story; narrator
2. English law a person who gives information upon which the attorney general brings an action
3. law a person who institutes proceedings by criminal information or quo warranto

Word History and Origins

Origin of relator¹

First recorded in 1585–95, relator is from the Latin word relātor a proposer, mover. See relate, -tor

Example Sentences

If it intervenes, it takes over management of the lawsuit though the relator remains a party; the latter can receive 15% to 25% of any recovery.

From Los Angeles Times

The government had declined to intervene in the lawsuit but praised the relator for having “diligently pursued this matter on behalf of the United States” over a decade.

From Los Angeles Times

The plaintiff, called a relator, sends the lawsuit and a statement to federal authorities, who can choose to intervene.

From Seattle Times

“The church will be more complete, and it will be a joy to have her represented in her entirety in Rome,” Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the Secretariat for the Synod, and Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the Synod’s relator general, said in the Vatican’s announcement.

From Washington Post

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the general relator for the event, called the inclusion of women and lay members in the voting pool “not a revolution but an important change.”

From Washington Times

Related Words

• chronicler
• narrator
• poet
• raconteur