delegator
UK[ˈdɛlɪɡeɪtə]US[ˈdɛləˌɡeɪtər]
n
a person who delegates or entrusts a task or responsibility to another.
n
(in computing) an object or function that passes on a request or operation to another handler.
Morpheme Breakdown
delegat
or
delegat
to send
or
agent suffix
Etymology
the word 'delegator' originates from the latin verb 'delegare', a compound of 'de-' (away) and 'legare' (to send, depute). this literal sense of "sending someone away with a commission" evolved into the concept of entrusting authority or tasks to a representative. the agent suffix '-or' was attached to the past participle stem to form a noun identifying the one who performs the act of delegating. thus, the term transitioned from its concrete roman administrative context to its modern abstract meanings in management and computer science, where it denotes the entity that assigns responsibility or passes on a function.
Analysis
Structure: delegat (to send) + or (agent suffix)
delegat: from latin 'delegat-', the past participle stem of 'delegare' (to send away, assign). or: from latin '-or', a suffix forming agent nouns indicating a person or thing that performs an action.
Examples
the manager was an effective delegator, which allowed her team to develop new skills.
as the project lead, he had to become a better delegator to meet the tight deadline.
in the program, the event handler acts as a delegator, forwarding messages to the appropriate listener.