Negotiator

How to spell negotiator

10 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce negotiator

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does negotiator mean?

1. nounA person who discusses terms with others in order to reach an agreement.

Negotiator in a sentence

• The union appointed an experienced negotiator to handle the pay talks.

• As a skilled negotiator, she secured a far better price on the contract.

Where does negotiator come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb negotiari, meaning 'to carry on business or trade'. That verb grew out of the noun negotium, which literally meant 'not leisure': it joins neg- 'not' with otium 'ease' or 'leisure', so a Roman thought of business as simply the absence of free time. The verb 'negotiate' entered English in the late 1500s, first in the sense of conducting affairs or arranging matters, and the agent noun 'negotiator', meaning the person who does the negotiating, followed soon after. The same negotium root sits behind 'negotiable' and the slightly old-fashioned 'negotiation'. For spelling, the trap is the buried 'ti' that sounds like 'shee', plus remembering the single 't' rather than a double, which the Latin origin in negotium helps confirm.

How the word is built

• neg- (not)
• oti (leisure, ease)
• -ate (verb-forming)
• -or (one who does)