interlocutor

Definitions

inter- (between) + locut (spoken, from loquī's past participle) + -or (one who) = 'one who speaks between.' Your interlocutor is the person on the other side of a dialogue — the one you're talking with.

Why It Means This

Interlocutor is a formal stand-in for 'the person I was talking to.' It shows up in academic, diplomatic, and journalistic writing — diplomats call their negotiating counterparts interlocutors. Note the -locut- spelling (from past participle locūtus), not -loqu-, which is why it sounds like 'locution' rather than 'colloquial.'

Common Collocations

• 1.main interlocutor主要对话者
• 2.key interlocutor关键对话者
• 3.reliable interlocutor可靠的对话者

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The professor treated each student as a serious interlocutor, not just a listener.

• 2.

  Diplomats need a reliable interlocutor on the other side to make progress.

• 3.

  She was a sharp interlocutor who challenged every assumption.