treaters
|treat-ers|
🇺🇸
/ˈtriːtərz/
🇬🇧
/ˈtriːtəz/
(treater)
one who treats (gives treatment or offers a treat)
Etymology
'treater' originates from English, formed by the base verb 'treat' plus the agentive suffix '-er'. The verb 'treat' itself comes from Old French 'traitier', ultimately from Latin 'tractare', where the root 'tract-' meant 'to pull, handle'.
'treat' changed from Old French 'traitier' (to handle, deal with) and the Latin frequentative 'tractare', and English formed the agent noun 'treater' by adding '-er' to the modern verb 'treat'.
Initially, 'treat' meant 'to handle or deal with' (in general sense from Latin/Old French), but over time it developed senses including 'to give medical care' and 'to give someone a pleasure or gift'; 'treater' now means 'one who treats' in those senses.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'treater': people who give medical or therapeutic treatment (doctors, therapists, clinicians).
The treaters at the clinic worked through the night to care for the injured.
Synonyms
Noun 2
plural of 'treater': people who treat others (pay for or entertain others), i.e., those who offer someone a treat or pay for a group activity.
On birthdays they were known as generous treaters who always picked up the bill.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/13 18:05