"attender" vs "attendee"

Hi,

What’s the difference between “attender” and “attendee”?

Many thanks.
Nessie.

To my ear, “attendee” is better.

Both mean “one who attends, one who is in attendance, one who attended” etc.

If you want to give the root some Latin flair, try this on for size:

Attendiero (male attendee)
Attendiera (female attendee)

hehe

Quite frankly… I’m trying to remember the last time I heard or read – aside from this thread – the word “attender”. I cannot recall the instance.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t used, just that it’s not common in my experience.

Hi Nessie,

In addition to Tom’s answer you might want to read attender vs. attendee.

Regards,
Torsten

yah, that page throws “attendant” into the mix – “attendant” is often used in a completely different capacity… as in “flight attendant”, as Torsten noted.

For instance, a flight attendant is an airline employee who serves (ostensibly, anyway, it’s what they’re supposed to do) a flight’s customers.

Thanks a lot, Prezbucky and Torsten :slight_smile:

Hi Prezbucky,
I think I’ve found out the reason you don’t often hear “attender” :stuck_out_tongue: Here is what I see in the OALD:

attender
(especially BrE) (AmE usually attendee) noun a person who goes to a place or an event, often on a regular basis: She’s a regular attender at evening classes.

:P:P

By the way, I also want you to have a look at these

ATTENDER:

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary:
attender
(especially BrE) (AmE usually attendee) noun a person who goes to a place or an event, often on a regular basis: She’s a regular attender at evening classes. PowerExif - the best choice to edit EXIF data in imagesLongman Dictionary of Contemporary English

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English:
attender
at·tend·er /əˈtendə US -ər/ n [C]
someone who regularly goes to an event such as a meeting or a class
Daniel was a regular attender at the Baptist Church.

ATTENDEE:
(only found in Longman, no result in OALD)
attendee
at·ten·dee /əˌtenˈdiː, ˌæten-/ n [C]
someone who is at an event such as a meeting or a course

=> So, I’ve just come to a conclusion:
1/ Both “attender” and “attendee” have the meaning of "someone who REGULARLY goes to a place, such as a meeting or a class
2/ “attender” is BrE and “attendee” is AmE
3/ only “attendee” has the meaning of “someone who is at an event such as a meeting or a course” (not regularly - not refering to a habit - just refering to the person who is at the event at the moment of speaking)
4/ If both 2 and 3 are right, I just wonder what the BrE substitude for “attendee” is.

Please give me a check
Thank you very much.
Nessie.

Hi,
Could you please give me a check?

Many thanks
Nessie