Spectator
/spɛkˈteɪ.tər/noun
A person who watches an event or activity without taking part.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin spectator, a person watching public spectacles—events whose name itself means things put on display for the eyes.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*spek-
“To observe, look at, or examine”
Classical Latin
Latin
specere
“To look at or see”
Classical Latin
Latin
spectare
“To watch or look at repeatedly”
Classical Latin
Latin
spectator
“A watcher or observer”
12th–13th Century
Old French
spectateur
“A spectator or onlooker”
16th Century
English
spectator
“A person who watches, especially at a public event”
Modern English
English
spectator
“A nonparticipant who watches an event”