entry
commentator
/ˈkɑmənˌteɪtɚ/Person who provides spoken or written commentary
From Latin commentatus / commentāri (Thought over).
from Middle English commentator
from Middle English commentator
from Middle English commentator
Word Ancestry
from Middle English commentator
from Middle English commentator
from Middle English commentator
Before a commentator was attached to a microphone, the word belonged to the world of manuscripts, where a learned writer patiently surrounded an ancient text with explanations. Latin commentātor could mean an “author,” “inventor,” or “interpreter”—and, rather oddly, even a “jailer,” perhaps because interpretation involved keeping meanings under careful control. English picked it up in the late 14th century, while the specifically sporting sense arrived much later, in 1928, when radio turned the game into something listeners could experience from an armchair. Its deepest family reaches toward Latin comminīscor and the reconstructed root *men-, “to think,” linking it to mental and mind. So every modern play-by-play commentator is, etymologically speaking, a professional thinker aloud—an ancient manuscript scholar with a headset.
The Story
Before a commentator was attached to a microphone, the word belonged to the world of manuscripts, where a learned writer patiently surrounded an ancient text with explanations. Latin commentātor could mean an “author,” “inventor,” or “interpreter”—and, rather oddly, even a “jailer,” perhaps because interpretation involved keeping meanings under careful control. English picked it up in the late 14th century, while the specifically sporting sense arrived much later, in 1928, when radio turned the game into something listeners could experience from an armchair. Its deepest family reaches toward Latin comminīscor and the reconstructed root *men-, “to think,” linking it to mental and mind. So every modern play-by-play commentator is, etymologically speaking, a professional thinker aloud—an ancient manuscript scholar with a headset.
Modern Usage
A person who annoyingly announces or explains what is happening, especially during a film or online video; also a creator who overlays voice commentary on gameplay.
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entries describing movie spoilers and YouTube/CSGO gameplay commentators
Kin & Kindred
From 'commentatus / commentāri'·Thought over, interpreted, or written about
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From '-or'·Agent noun suffix, “one who does”
Derived Terms
English words from this root