conferrer

Conferrer is a noun used to describe a person or institution that confers something—most often a degree, title, license, award, or honor—onto another party. The conferrer holds the authority to grant the benefit and may be a university, government agency, professional association, or other body. The term emphasizes the source of the conferment rather than the recipient.

Etymology: The word derives from Latin conferre, meaning “to bring together,” and the agent noun conferrer has developed in English to denote the issuer of a conferment. The standard spelling is conferrer; the act is typically referred to as a conferment or conferral.

Usage: In academia, universities and similar institutions are conferrers of degrees and diplomas, with the ceremony marking the conferral. In honors contexts, awarding bodies—such as committees, societies, or governments—act as conferrers of prizes and honors. In law and public administration, authorities confer licenses, rights, or privileges and are described as the conferrer of those benefits. In religious or ceremonial settings, a conferrer may grant sacraments, blessings, or appointments.

See also: confer, conferment, conferral, awarding body, grantor.