Contestant
/kənˈtɛs.tənt/noun
A person who takes part in a contest or competition.
Did you know?Contestant comes from Latin roots meaning “to call together” and “to witness against,” so the word originally lived in the world of public disputes and legal challenge, not game shows.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
contestārī
“to call together, invoke as witness; to dispute or contend”
Late Latin
Latin
contestant-
“present participle of contestārī, one who contends or disputes”
Old French
Old French
contestant
“contending, disputing”
14th-15th Century
Middle English
contestant
“one who contends in a dispute or competition”
Modern English
English
contestant
“a person who competes in a contest”