Proofreader
/ˈpruːfˌriːdər/noun
A person who reads a text carefully to find and correct errors before publication.
Did you know?The word is a transparent 19th-century compound: a proof is a printer’s trial impression, and a proofreader was literally the person who read it before the final run.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
prōf
“evidence, test, trial”
Old English
OE
rǣdan
“to advise, interpret, read”
Middle English
ME
proof
“a trial impression in printing”
19th Century
English
proofreader
“a person who reads printer’s proofs and corrects errors”
Modern English
English
proofreader
“a person who checks text for mistakes before publication”