What does requiter mean?
A requiter is someone who gives back or rewards a service, favour, or kindness. The word is now rare and literary, but its meaning is readily understood from the familiar verb “requite,” meaning to repay or reward. A requiter may acknowledge a benefit through thanks, payment, a gift, or some other appropriate gesture. The term is often more emphatic than simply calling someone a “rewarder,” suggesting that the repayment meets an obligation or balances a previous benefit. It can also convey the idea of returning something that has been earned, although it is not normally used for mechanically repaying a debt. Today, “requiter” appears chiefly in formal or historical writing, so “rewarder,” “benefactor,” or the more natural verb “repay” will usually be preferable in ordinary conversation. Nevertheless, the word remains useful as a precise noun for a person who duly acknowledges or repays another person’s kindness.
nounA person who requites another, especially by rewarding or repaying a service or kindness.
- One who rewards or repays another for a service, favour, or kindness.
"The benefactor expected no praise, but she remained grateful to her quiet benefactor."
"She proved a generous requiter, acknowledging every contribution to the project."
"The settlement was accepted as payment from the original wrongdoer, but the injured party never regarded him as a true requiter."
The plural is used chiefly in formal or historical writing.
"The play portrays the requiters as people whose generosity restores balance to the community."
Requiter is a person who gives back what is owed: in effect, the human embodiment of “repayment.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of requiter
The word was formed from the verb “requite” and the agentive suffix “-er,” meaning “one who requites.” The verb “requite” derives from Old French requiter, from Latin requiritere, based on requirere, a form of quaerere meaning “to seek” or “ask for.” The same Latin root also underlies words such as “require,” “request,” “acquire,” and “inquire,” although their modern meanings have developed independently.
Related word forms
How requiter is actually used
This is a rare literary or archaic noun rather than everyday standard vocabulary. Modern speakers are more likely to use the verbs “reward” or “repay,” or the noun “rewarder.”