delator means an accuser; an informer. It carries an Arena rating of 1260, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, delator ranks #3,235 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #3,287 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #4,255 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #4,356 of 17,106 for Most Storied Words.
Why “delator” is a great word
A formal accuser who makes a denunciation, especially in a legal or official context. Its etymology runs from Middle English delatoures (plural), from Latin dēlātor, from dēlātus (past participle of dēferre, "to bring down, report, accuse") + -or (agent suffix). Unlike an informer, who trades in secrets, or a whistleblower, who purports to act for the common good, the delator is a creature of the system, weaponizing procedure for private spite, advancement, or statutory reward. He is the rustle of parchment in a silent antechamber, the carefully rehearsed testimony before a tribunal, the cold satisfaction of a rival’s name entered into the record—the bureaucratic machinery of fear given a human face and a willing voice.
Etymology
From Middle English delatoures pl, from Latin dēlātor.
noun
- An accuser; an informer.e.g.“[…]his Accuser or Delator[…]” — 1655, James Howell, “To the Rt. Hon, the Lord Mohun”, in Epistolæ Ho-Elianæ. Familiar Letters Domestic and Forren. […], 3rd edition, volume (please specify the page), London: […] Humphrey Mos[e]ley, [
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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