cunctator

American  

[kuhngk-tey-ter] / kʌŋkˈteɪ tər /

noun

1. a procrastinator; delayer.

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Other Word Forms

• cunctatorship
  noun

Etymology

Origin of cunctator

1645–55; < Latin, equivalent to cunctā ( rī ) to delay + -tor -tor

Explanation

If you're a cunctator, you tend to procrastinate, or put off til later what you should probably do right now. Your teacher might call you a cunctator if you start writing your paper the night before it's due. A cunctator has a habit of postponing or delaying action, often out of laziness. When you come across this unusual word, it's very often capitalized — in this case, it refers specifically to the Roman statesman Fabius Maximus, who became well-known for his cautious military strategy against the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War in the 200s BCE. He was called the Cuncator, Latin for "delayer."

Example Sentences

The foregoing is irrefutable evidence that the fool-killer is enacting the role of cunctator.

From Brann the Iconoclast — Volume 10 by Brann, William Cowper

But no one was ever more undecided than the famous cunctator.

From The Companions of Jehu by Dumas père, Alexandre