leitor

Leitor is a Portuguese noun with several related senses. Primarily, it denotes a person who reads, such as someone who studies books, newspapers, or magazines. In a broader sense, it can refer to the audience that engages with a text or a given work.

In technology, leitor designates a device that reads data. Examples include a barcode reader (leitor de código de barras), a card reader (leitor de cartão), and a CD or DVD reader (leitor de CD ou de DVD). In the context of digital publishing, the expression leitor de livros eletrônicos or leitor de e-books refers to an electronic reader.

Etymology and gender: the term comes from Latin lector, from legere, “to read.” The feminine form is leitora, used for female readers. The plural forms are os leitores for mixed or masculine groups and as leitoras for female readers.

Usage notes: in literature, o leitor is the reader or audience of a text; in technical or commercial contexts, leitor often refers to a data-reading device. The word can also appear in phrases describing the act of reading or the act of using a reading device, such as reading software or hardware.

See also: leitura, leitor de código de barras, leitor de cartão, leitor de CD, leitor de e-books.