supplicant
- noun
- /ˈsʌplɪkənt/
- Specialized
- To connect to the Wi-Fi, the supplicant needed to provide the correct username and password.
Examples
-
She groaned with the credit supplicant's longing to make good.
Fiction book (1995) -
The device acted as a supplicant, transmitting its credentials to gain access to the secure network.
-
In the authentication process, the supplicant successfully presented its information to the server for verification.
Synonyms
A computer or program on a network that asks a server for services
A program or person that asks a server to send data
A computer program or device that asks another system for information
Surface Forms
Morphology
supplicant = supplicate (semi-transparent) = supplicate + ant
The networking sense extends the agentive meaning metaphorically to a device or client that 'requests' access, so derivation is clear but specialized.
Etymology
Supplicant comes from Latin sub- 'under' and plicare 'to bend', originally meaning someone who kneels to beg. In computer networks a supplicant is like that person: it is the device or program that 'asks' for permission to join the network.