Addressee Meaning
/ˌædɹɛˈsiː/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounThe person or organization to which something, such as a letter or message, is addressed or sent, for whom the item is intended.
nounA person or entity to whom discourse is directed, or the words referring to such an entity.
Sentence Examples
They confused the names of the sender and the addressee.
Send a registered letter to be sure that it will reach its addressee.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The letter was returned because the ____ had moved without notice.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The letter was returned to the sender because the ____ was unknown.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Old French a- Proto-Italic *dwizrektos Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti Proto-Italic *dwizregō Vulgar Latin dīrigō Vulgar Latin dīrēctus Proto-Indo-European *-yetider. Vulgar Latin -iāre Vulgar Latin *dīrēctiāre Old French drecier Old French adrecierbor. Middle English adressen English address English -ee English addressee From address + -ee.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Person is a grammatical property which is overtly manifested in so-called Personal Pronouns: forms which include the speaker (I/we) are said to be ‘first personʼ Pronouns; forms which include the addressee (you) and not the speaker are said to be ‘second personʼ Pronouns; while forms which exclude both speaker and addressee (he/she/it/they) are ‘third personʼ Pronouns."
— 1988, Andrew Radford, chapter 6, in Transformational grammar: a first course, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, page 305:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The letter was returned because the ____ had moved without notice.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The letter was returned to the sender because the ____ was unknown.