commentator

plural commentators · alternative commentatour

1. A person who makes a commentary, particularly
   1. obsoleterareSynonym of historian or chronicler, a person who compiles an annotated history.First known use 1475

      Synonyms: historian or chronicler

   2. A person who compiles explanations and critical notes on a text.First known use 1641
   3. lawA person who compiles explanations of the law, particularly (historical) comparatively innovative European jurists in the 14th century, as opposed to earlier glossators.

      It would be well into the fourteenth century before the commentators came into their own.

      2009, Randall Lesaffer, European Legal History: A Cultural and Political Perspective, →ISBN, page 257

   4. ChristianityA person who compiles explanations of biblical passages.
   5. hobbiesA person who provides an instantaneous description of a public event, particularly a sporting event, for a mass media audience.First known use 1928

      He was a commentator for football two years before retiring.

   6. mediaA person who provides analysis or opinion on current events, especially for a mass media audience.First known use 1938

      Specifically, and unforgivably, she restarted the Heathrow Third Runway bandwagon, which had been stalled for more than a decade and even declared dead by most commentators.

      2025 February 19, Christian Wolmar, “Reeves talks of 'growth' but pays lip service to the railway”, in RAIL, number 1029, page 35

plural Commentators

1. Alternative letter-case form of commentator (medieval legal scholar)