A speaker or orator who speaks against or in response to another speaker.
From counter- (against) + orator (a public speaker). The prefix 'counter-' comes from Old French contre-, from Latin contra- meaning 'against.' Combined with orator from Latin orare meaning 'to speak.'
During ancient Roman Senate debates, the counterorator was just as important as the first speaker—Roman culture valued dueling speeches so much that they developed specific oratorical techniques just for responding to opposing arguments, which shaped how Western debate still works today.
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