'awaiter' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'awaiten', where the prefix 'a-' meant 'on' or 'in' and the root 'wait' meant 'to watch or be on guard'.

'awaiter' changed from Middle English 'awaiten' (and Old North French/Anglo-Norman forms such as 'awaiter'/'awaitier') and ultimately became the modern English noun 'awaiter'. The verb 'await' itself comes from earlier Germanic roots related to watching.

Initially, related forms often carried the sense 'to lie in wait or watch'; over time the meaning shifted to the modern sense 'to wait for' or 'to be in expectation of' and the noun came to mean 'one who waits'.