What does relater mean?
Relater is a rare noun meaning a person who relates or recounts something. It is especially associated with someone who tells a story, describes an experience, or reports a sequence of events. The word has a formal, old-fashioned quality and is not commonly used in everyday conversation. A relater may simply recount information, but the term can also suggest an active storyteller who holds an audience's attention. Modern speakers are more likely to choose narrator for a story, reporter for information or news, or storyteller for an informal or traditional tale. Although closely related in meaning to relator, relater is the less common member of the pair and is chiefly encountered in formal, literary, or historical writing. Its rarity makes it useful chiefly in texts concerned with narration, testimony, or the presentation of events.
nounA person who relates, recounts, or reports something; especially a narrator.
- A person who recounts or reports an event, story, or set of circumstances.
"The relater held the listeners' attention with a vivid account of the expedition."
"The relater began with the circumstances that led to the discovery."
"She served as the relater of the story in the community's oral tradition."
The regular plural is rare, reflecting the headword's limited use in contemporary English.
"The two relaters offered different accounts of the same voyage."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does relater come from?
Relater was formed in English by adding the agent-forming suffix -er to relate. Relate ultimately comes through Old French from Latin referre, a verb built from re- and ferre and meaning to carry or bring back. The same Latin foundation also appears in words such as refer, reference, and relator.
Related word forms
How relater is actually used
Rare in contemporary English. In modern usage, narrator, reporter, and storyteller are generally more natural, depending on the context.
Easily confused with relater
Both can mean a person who tells or reports something, but 'relator' is the more usual modern term.