oppressor

Alternative forms

• oppressour (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English oppressour, from Old French opressor and Latin oppressor; equivalent to oppress +‎ -or.

Noun

oppressor (plural oppressors)

1. Someone who oppresses another or others.
   • 1859, Charles Dickens, The Haunted House:

     And in respect of the great necessity there is, my darling, for more employments being within the reach of Woman than our civilisation has as yet assigned to her, don’t fly at the unfortunate men, even those men who are at first sight in your way, as if they were the natural oppressors of your sex […]

   • 2006, Lisa V. Blitz, Mary Pender Greene, Racism and Racial Identity:

     All members of society are hurt by the dynamic of oppressor versus oppressed (McIntosh, 1988).

Anagrams

• proposers