A donor in general is a person, organization or government which
donates something voluntarily. The term is usually used to represent a form of pure
altruism
Altruism is the principle and moral practice of concern for the welfare and/or happiness of other human beings or animals, resulting in a quality of life both material and spiritual. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core as ...
, but is sometimes used when the payment for a service is recognized by all parties as representing less than the value of the donation and that the motivation is altruistic. In
business law a ''donor'' is someone who is giving the
gift (law), and a ''donee'' the person receiving the gift.
More broadly, the term is used to refer to any entity that serves as the source of something transferred to a different entity, including - in scientific fields - the source of matter or energy passed from one object to another.
The
Online Etymology Dictionary traces the English-language word "donor" back to the mid-15th century, with origins in Anglo-French, Old French, Latin and Proto-Indo-European.
In science
Often the word is used as a shorter term for:
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Blood donor
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Donor (semiconductors)
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Egg donor
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Electron donor — (by analogy) a technical term in chemistry and
semiconductor physics (see also the next entry)
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Organ donor
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Sperm donor
In society and international relations
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Benefactor (law)
* Donor government or donor organisation in
official development assistance
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Grant (law)
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Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
In art
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Donor portrait
A donor portrait or votive portrait is a portrait in a larger painting or other work showing the person who commissioned and paid for the image, or a member of his, or (much more rarely) her, family. ''Donor portrait'' usually refers to the portr ...
, portrait of the person who paid for a painting, typically in a church
In literature
In
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...
s, a
donor is a
stock character
A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a fictional character in a work of art such as a novel, play, or a film whom audiences recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition. There is a wide range of st ...
that tests the hero (and sometimes other characters as well) and provides magical assistance to the hero when he succeeds.
See also
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Sponsor (commercial)
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References
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