respondent
UK[rɪˈspɒndənt]US[rɪˈspɑːndənt]
n
A person who replies to something, especially one supplying information for a survey or questionnaire or answering questions in a legal case.
adj
In the position of a party defending against a petition or appeal.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
spond
ent
re
again/back
spond
pledge/answer
ent
one who
Etymology
The word 'respondent' originates from the Latin verb respondēre, itself a compound of re- ("back") and spondēre ("to pledge, promise"). The core notion is of giving a pledged answer in return. This legal and formal sense of a binding reply passed through Anglo-French into Middle English. In modern usage, it retains this formal, answer-bound connotation, specifically denoting the party in a legal case who must answer a petition, or more generally, anyone who provides a formal or researched answer.
Analysis
Structure: re (again/back) + spond (pledge/answer) + ent (one who)
- re: Latin prefix meaning "again" or "back".
- spond: From Latin spondere, meaning "to pledge, promise, answer".
- ent: Latin suffix forming agent nouns, meaning "one who" does something.
Examples
The survey had over a thousand respondents.
The respondent in the case filed a counterclaim.
We interviewed respondents from various demographic groups.