I. ˈsüd.ə(r), -ütə- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English suter, sutor, suitor, from Anglo-French suter, suitor, from Latin secutor follower, pursuer, from secutus (past participle of sequi to follow) + -or — more at sue
1. archaic : one of a retinue : follower
2.
a. : one in attendance upon a feudal superior
b. : one that petitions or entreats : pleader , petitioner
she hath been a suitor to me for her brother — Shakespeare
a petition, signed by the parties … who are suitors for the bill — T.E.May
c. : one that sues at law or prosecutes an action in a court of justice : a party to a suit : litigant
3. : one that courts a woman or seeks to marry her : wooer
had difficulty choosing between her two suitors
a suitor for the old king's daughter — A.C.Whitehead
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
archaic : to behave as a suitor : court a woman
transitive verb
archaic : to seek (a woman) in marriage : woo
the miller's son … suitored me — Sir Walter Scott
III. noun
: one that seeks to take over a business
negotiations with a corporate suitor