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donor

[ doh-ner ]
/ ˈdoʊ nər /
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See synonyms for: donor / donors on Thesaurus.com

noun
a person who gives or donates.
Medicine/Medical. a person or animal providing blood, an organ, bone marrow cells, or other biological tissue for transfusion or transplantation: sperm donor; organ donor.
Law. a person who gives property by gift, legacy, or devise, or who confers a power of appointment.
adjective
of or relating to the biological tissue of a donor: donor organ.
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Origin of donor

1400–50; late Middle English donour<Anglo-French (Old French doneur) <Latin dōnātor, equivalent to dōnā(re) (see donation) + -tor-tor

OTHER WORDS FROM donor

do·nor·ship, nounpre·do·nor, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use donor in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for donor

donor
/ (ˈdəʊnə) /

noun
a person who makes a donation
med any person who voluntarily gives blood, skin, a kidney etc, for use in the treatment of another person
law
  1. a person who makes a gift of property
  2. a person who bestows upon another a power of appointment over property
the atom supplying both electrons in a coordinate bond
an impurity, such as antimony or arsenic, that is added to a semiconductor material in order to increase its n-type conductivity by contributing free electronsCompare acceptor (def. 2)

Derived forms of donor

donorship, noun

Word Origin for donor

C15: from Old French doneur, from Latin dōnātor, from dōnāre to give
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for donor

donor
[ dōnər ]

An atom or molecule that releases one or more electrons to another atom or molecule, resulting in a chemical bond or flow of electric current. Compare acceptor. See also electron carrier.
An individual from whom blood, tissue, or an organ is taken for transfusion, implantation, or transplant.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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