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There is a clean word that defines person that is invited: an invitee.

However, I can't seem to find a straight definition of either terms that would define a person who invites the invitee.

Is it "Inviter", "Invitor"? Is there some other term that is more appropriate?

mr.b
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    Would the host be better suited? – Thomas Francois May 25 '16 at 13:17
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    Exact duplicate of http://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/70450/how-to-say-person-who-invites-another-person-with-one-word on ELL – MorganFR May 25 '16 at 13:18
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    It's "inviter". See here for some -er vs. -or guidelines. – Hellion May 25 '16 at 13:20
  • It is Inviter. as @ThomasFrancois suggested Host is the term you would use. – Keval Domadia May 25 '16 at 13:21
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    @ThomasFrancois: I don't think it would. In my view, host implies that there is something being organized somewhere, and the host is hosting that something. How about e.g. if a person invites someone to travel with them? – mr.b May 25 '16 at 13:22
  • Would someone please post their suggestion as an answer, so that I can mark the one I prefer? But, of course, there's no rush. – mr.b May 25 '16 at 13:24
  • @MorganFR I didn't know about that sub-site. Thanks. – mr.b May 25 '16 at 13:24
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    *Invitor* briefly overtook *inviter* in the 50s, but however it's spelt, the "word" has been in long-term decline for centuries. Actual native speakers would almost never use *invitee* or *inviter* anyway - for example, we'd always ask Who invited you? Were you invited?, not Who was your inviter? Are you an invitee? On ELL my advice would simply be "Forget about both words". – FumbleFingers May 25 '16 at 14:10
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    @FumbleFingers that is the perfect explanation, thank you very much! However, I feel obliged to give a bit more context that you hinted at by saying native speakers. I need this in a programming context, where I need to give names to certain things, and I still want to be grammatically correct while doing so. – mr.b May 25 '16 at 19:41
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    @mr.b looks like this is a popular reason. I've found this question because I'm strugling with the same issue as you. – Tetiana Chupryna Aug 04 '17 at 10:44
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    Even if the usage in everyday language has been declining for decades, it's still useful when designing a database. More succinct than labeling a field "person who invited someone else". – Ryan Nov 29 '23 at 14:34
  • This question has aged well, given the omnipresent IT demand for the term. Meanwhile, I have side-stepped the whole debate by moving towards a two-word expression, invited by, which is easy enough to spell and understand in code and database contexts. – mr.b Nov 30 '23 at 15:28

1 Answers1

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You could use Host or Hostess for its feminine counterpart.

someone who invites people to a meal or party, or to stay in their home.

However, as pointed out in the comments, it will not be suited in all contexts.

Thomas Francois
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