Requestor or Requester? Which is correct?

In the English language, the correct spelling of the word is r-e-q-u-e-s-t-e-r. A requester is someone who asks for something. However, the word requestor can also be found in some dictionaries and mostly relates to computer programming languages. 

Continue reading on to learn more about the etymology of the word requester, the difference between requester and requestor, and examples of how to use it properly in a sentence.

Etymology of Requester

The word requester is an iteration of the word request. The English word request dates back to France from the middle of the 14th century. In the mid-1920s the invention of the radio brought about a new use for the word. A requester in this period meant someone calling into or writing the radio station to request a specific song to be played.

A request is a word that is defined as asking for something. A requester is someone who is doing the act of requesting. A requester is a noun and can only be a person since the act of requesting requires physically asking for something.

Requester vs Requestor

As previously stated, a requester is someone who is making a request or demanding something. A requester is not always polite and someone who is demanding something is considered to be a requester as well. A requestor, on the other hand, is something that is part of computer programming languages.

Requestors are used in computer programming languages, such as C+, that have an interface. The way that computers ‘speak’ to each other is by transferring data to one another. A requestor is a line of code that is essentially asking another computer to give it information.

Another time you may see requestor written with an -or at the end is from non-native English speakers. Often times in the U.K. and Australia you can find requestor written with an -or to distinguish their English from American English.

Using Requester in a Sentence

There are a few different ways to use the word requester in a sentence. The usual structure is using the word as a noun. Here are some examples of how to use requester in a sentence.

  • The requester did not provide all of the information so the petition was denied.
  • If you need information from the military, you must fill out a certain form and the requester must be a veteran or the veteran’s next of kin.
  • When filing your taxes, the IRS will ask the requester for identifying documents.

 

Conor