player

Etymology

From Middle English pleyer, playere, from Old English pleġere (“player, athlete, wrestler”), equivalent to play + -er.

noun

1. One that plays
   1. One who plays any game or sport.
   2. (theater) An actor in a dramatic play.
   3. (music) One who plays on a musical instrument.
   4. (gaming, video games) A gamer; a player of video games or similar.
      The player is free to create their own narrative within a much larger set of possible designed narrative options, or, given the geographic and dialogical openness of Morrowind, to refuse the creation of any narrative but their own and wander aimlessly through the game. 2015, Angus Slater, “Prophecy, Pre-destination, and Free-form Gameplay: The Nerevarine Prophecy in Bethesda’s ‘Morrowind’”, in Online: Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet, volume 7, →DOI, page 175
   5. (gambling) A gambler.
   6. (historical) A mechanism that actuates a player piano or other automatic musical instrument.
      But up to this time the application of the player mechanism had been confined to reed instruments, the piano manufacturers having successfully resisted the introduction of the player mechanism into the piano; but, in the meantime, the manufacturers of players had grown strong and the manufacturers were beginning to properly interpret the handwriting on the wall 1915, John McTammany, The Technical History of the Player
      A Technical Treatise on Piano Player Mechanism" contains detailed description of the various types of interior and exterior players, embracing manual, pneumatic, automatic, mechanical and electric 1909, William Braid White, Regulation and Repair of Piano and Player Mechanism, ..., page 179
      Electric players used either a four-lobe rotary pump belt-driven by an electric motor or a self-contained electric motor and ... 1970, Arthur W. J. G. Ord-Hume, Player piano: the history of the mechanical piano and how to repair it
   7. (electronics) An electronic device that plays audio and/or video media.
      Is your CD player broken, or is this one disc damaged?
   8. (computing) A software application that plays audio and/or video media, such as a media player.
2. One who is playful; one without serious aims; an idler; a trifler.
3. A participant; one involved in something.
   He thought he could become a player, at least at the state level.
   Decision realities research recognizes the occupational tribalism identified in occupational realities research, but goes further by paying attention to all the players – patients and lay caregivers included – who participate in negotiating care. 2011, Suzanne Shale, Moral Leadership in Medicine, page 239
   Another Bush — George W.’s brother Jeb — is likely to be a big player in the Republican Party’s future. November 7, 2012, Matt Bai, “Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds”, in New York Times
   As the biggest rail player, Network Rail was usually held accountable for failings, but had no authority to change anything to solve the problems. The DfT had been given that authority in 2004 - but consistently ducked accountability. March 10 2021, Nigel Harris, “It's time to get on with it!”, in RAIL, number 926, page 3
4. (informal) A person who plays the field rather than having a long-term sexual relationship.
   Thunder only happens when it’s rainin’ / Players only love you when they’re playin’ / Say women, they will come and they will go / When the rain washes you clean, you’ll know 1977, Stevie Nicks (lyrics and music), “Dreams”, in Rumours, performed by Fleetwood Mac, Warner Bros.