Recipients

A recipient is a noun describing a person or organization that receives something from another person or entity. The term is used across several domains, including mail and delivery, charity and grants, awards, medicine, and communications. In each context, the recipient is defined by their relationship to the source of the item or service.

Etymology and scope: the word derives from Latin receptus, the past participle of recipere, meaning “to receive.” It entered English through Middle English as recipient. Related terms include recipient’s counterpart in the giver role, such as donor or grantor, and other receivers such as addressee or beneficiary, depending on the context.

Contextual uses: in postal and electronic communications, the recipient is the person addressed in a message, who may also be a recipient listed in CC or BCC fields. In philanthropy and research, recipients are individuals or organizations that are awarded funding, grants, or prizes, such as grant recipients or Nobel Prize recipients. In medicine, a recipient is a patient who receives an organ, tissue, or blood product through a transplant or transfusion. In legal and financial settings, recipients may refer to those who receive distributions of assets or funds, though terms like payee or beneficiary are also common depending on the arrangement.

See also: addressee, beneficiary, donor, awardee, payee.