Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One that contributes something, such as money, to a cause or fund.
  • noun Medicine An individual from whom blood, tissue, or an organ is taken for transfusion, implantation, or transplant.
  • noun Chemistry An atom, molecule, or ion that provides a part to combine with an acceptor, especially an atom that provides two electrons to form a bond with another atom.
  • noun Electronics An element introduced into a semiconductor with a negative valence greater than that of the pure semiconductor.
  • adjective Medicine Used for transfusion, implantation, or transplant.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One who gives or bestows; one who confers anything gratuitously; a benefactor.
  • noun Specifically, in law: A giver.
  • noun One who creates an estate tail.
  • noun One who gives to another a power. See power.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One who gives or bestows; one who confers anything gratuitously; a benefactor. Inverse of recipient.
  • noun (Law) One who grants an estate; in later use, one who confers a power; -- the opposite of donee.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun One who donates, typically, money.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (medicine) someone who gives blood or tissue or an organ to be used in another person (the host)
  • noun person who makes a gift of property

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman donour, from Latin dōnātor, from dōnāre, to give; see donation.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English donoure, donour; from Anglo-Norman donour, from Old French doneur (See French donneur).

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