English
lector
Lector comes from Late Latin lēctor ‘reader’, and goes back to legō ‘to read’.
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CElegō1‘to read’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CElēctor1‘reader’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lector1
- Englishearliest quotation 2004lector1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English lector
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2004, D. J. R. Bruckner, New Inflections and Nuance in a Florida Cigar Factory: “Its lyrical, poetic flights seem much more at home…”.
Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CElegōWiktionary, English lector‘to read’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CElēctorWiktionary, English lector‘reader’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lectorWiktionary, English lector
- Englishearliest quotation 2004lectorWiktionary, English lector. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2004, D. J. R. Bruckner, New Inflections and Nuance in a Florida Cigar Factory: “Its lyrical, poetic flights seem much more at home…”
The story
“Voice-over” sense probably adapted from Polish lektor.
Linked words
through Late Latin legō ‘to read’
college, election, collection, elite, lesson, legend, legacy, eligible, colleague, collective, delegation, elegant, coil, select, negligence, legion, delegate, lecture, negligent, collegiate, elect, diligent, negligible, cull, legible, legation, legate, collegium, ineligibility, lectern, 25 more
Today it means
noun A lay person who reads aloud certain religious texts in a church service.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “lector”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Late Latin legō / lector