éditeur

Éditeur is a French term with several related meanings in publishing, journalism, and computing. As a noun, it designates a person or company responsible for bringing written works to the public (a publisher) or a person who edits texts before publication (an editor). The verb éditer means to publish or prepare for publication, and the noun éditeur can refer to both the publishing house and the editor who works with authors.

In publishing, an éditeur selects manuscripts, coordinates editing for clarity and style, and oversees production, contracts, rights, and distribution. Editing work is often divided among roles such as acquisitions editor, development editor, and copy editor, with an editor-in-chief or managing editor guiding editorial policy.

In journalism, the term can denote the editor-in-chief or a section editor who decides on coverage, tone, and editorial direction.

In computing, éditeur refers to software that allows text manipulation. An éditeur de texte is a text editor for composing and editing plain or formatted text, while an éditeur de code (code editor) or integrated development environment (IDE) is used for programming. In digital publishing, editors and editors’ tools work together to prepare content for various formats, including e-books and websites.

Etymology traces éditeur to éditer from Latin editus, from edere “to publish.” The term thus spans human roles in content creation and dissemination as well as software tools that facilitate editing and publishing.