A person who holds and reads copy (manuscript text) aloud to a proofreader to check for errors in printing or typesetting.
From 'copy' meaning manuscript text and 'holder' meaning someone who holds something. The occupation emerged with the printing press in the 15th century.
Before spell-check and digital proofreading, copyholders were essential to publishing—two people reading together caught more errors than one person working alone, a principle still used in modern editing.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.