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donor

UK[ˈdəʊnə(r)]US[ˈdoʊnər]
n

a person or organization that gives something, especially money, to a charity or other organization.

n

a person who provides blood, an organ, or semen for medical use.

Morpheme Breakdown

don
or
don

give

or

person who does

Etymology

the word 'donor' entered english in the 15th century from the anglo-norman 'donour', which itself derived from the latin 'donator', meaning 'giver'. the latin root is 'donare', 'to give', which is related to 'donum', 'gift'. this root can be traced back to the proto-indo-european do-, meaning 'to give'. the suffix -or, also of latin origin, consistently forms nouns denoting an agent. thus, the literal construction 'one who gives' perfectly aligns with its modern meanings, whether referring to a charitable benefactor or a biological contributor.

Analysis

Structure: don (give) + or (person who does) don is from latin 'donare' meaning 'to give'. or is a latin suffix forming agent nouns, meaning 'one who does something'.

Examples

the museum was built thanks to a generous anonymous donor.

she registered as an organ donor to help others after her death.

blood donors are always needed to maintain hospital supplies.

donor – Meaning, Etymology & Word Origin | OpenEtymology