reader

[ree-der]

noun

1. a person who reads.

2. a schoolbook for instruction and practice in reading.

   a second-grade reader.

3. a book of collected or assorted writings, especially when related in theme, authorship, or instructive purpose; anthology.

   a Hemingway reader; a sci-fi reader.

4. a person employed to read and evaluate manuscripts offered for publication.

5. a proofreader.

6. a person who reads or recites before an audience; elocutionist.

7. a person authorized to read the lessons, Bible, etc., in a church service.

8. a lecturer or instructor, especially in some British universities.

   to be appointed reader in English history.

9. an assistant to a professor, who grades examinations, papers, etc.

10. Computers.,  a device that reads data, programs, or control information from an external storage medium for transmission to main storage.

11. a machine or device that projects or enlarges a microform image on a screen or other surface for reading.

12. a playing card marked on its back so that the suit or denomination of the card can be identified.

13. Library Science.,  the user of a library; library patron.

reader

/ ˈriːdə /

noun

1. a person who reads

2. a person who is fond of reading

3. 1. at a university, a member of staff having a position between that of a senior lecturer and a professor

   2. a teaching assistant in a faculty who grades papers, examinations, etc, on behalf of a professor

4. 1. a book that is part of a planned series for those learning to read

   2. a standard textbook, esp for foreign-language learning

5. a person who reads aloud in public

6. a person who reads and assesses the merit of manuscripts submitted to a publisher

7. a person employed to read proofs and indicate errors by comparison with the original copy; proofreader

8. short for lay reader

9. Judaism another word for cantor

Other Word Forms

• nonreader noun
• subreader noun
• underreader noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of reader¹

before 1000; Middle English reder ( e ), redar ( e ), Old English rǣdere. See read ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

He reassures readers: “Calculators and computers didn’t render generations unable to do math.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Knowing readers are out there cooking and thinking alongside me is a gift I don’t take lightly.

Read more on Salon

Longtime readers of this column — both of you! — will know I make no predictions.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Meter readers mainly, well, read meters, while telemarketers made calls timed to your dinner.

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Including our guide to books that make wonderful gifts for the readers in your life.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal