entrant
UK[ˈentrənt]US[ˈentrənt]
n
a person who enters a place, competition, profession, or institution.
n
a company that starts selling a product or service in a particular market.
Morpheme Breakdown
entr
ant
entr
enter
ant
one who does
Etymology
the word 'entrant' is a relatively modern english formation, built upon the well-established verb 'enter'. the core morpheme 'entr-' originates from the latin verb intrare, meaning "to go into", which itself derives from the preposition intra, "within". this latin root passed into english via old french entrer. the suffix '-ant' is a direct borrowing from the latin present participle ending -antem, which in english evolved into a productive agent-noun suffix, akin to '-er'. thus, the literal construction "one who enters" logically yields the modern meanings of a person joining a competition, school, profession, or a company entering a new market.
Analysis
Structure: entr (enter) + ant (one who does)
entr (from latin intrare, meaning "to enter", via old french entrer; functions as the verb root) + ant (from latin -antem, a suffix forming agent nouns; functions as a noun-forming suffix denoting a person who performs an action)
Examples
the race had over fifty entrants from various countries.
she was a new entrant to the teaching profession.
the telecom market saw a powerful new entrant challenge the established companies.