relator

American  

[ri-ley-ter] / rɪˈleɪ tər /

noun

1. a person who relates or tells; narrator.

2. Law.

   1. a private person on whose suggestion or complaint certain writs, as a quo warranto, are issued and whose position is analogous to that of a plaintiff.

   2. a party in interest who is allowed to institute a proceeding in the name of a public official when the right to sue rests exclusively in that official.

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relator British  

/ rɪˈleɪtə /

noun

1. a person who relates a story; narrator

2. English law a person who gives information upon which the attorney general brings an action

3. law a person who institutes proceedings by criminal information or quo warranto

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Etymology

Origin of relator

First recorded in 1585–95, relator is from the Latin word relātor a proposer, mover. See relate, -tor

Example Sentences

The government had declined to intervene in the lawsuit but praised the relator for having “diligently pursued this matter on behalf of the United States” over a decade.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2024

The plaintiff, called a relator, sends the lawsuit and a statement to federal authorities, who can choose to intervene.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 31, 2023

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the general relator for the event, called the inclusion of women and lay members in the voting pool “not a revolution but an important change.”

From Washington Times • Apr. 26, 2023

Only “when the government decides it does not want to join the case can the relator proceed independently.”

From Slate • Feb. 10, 2022

The story was interrupted at every sentence, and the relator condemned as a most tedious story-teller, when, had he been permitted to go forward, he would have made the incident interesting and short.

From The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness A Complete Hand Book for the Use of the Lady in Polite Society by Hartley, Florence

Related Words

• chronicler
• narrator
• poet
• raconteur