-ist

a suffix of nouns, often corresponding to verbs ending in -ize or nouns ending in -ism, that denote a person who practices or is concerned with something, or holds certain principles, doctrines, etc.: apologist; dramatist; machinist; novelist; realist; socialist; Thomist.

Compare -ism, -istic, -ize.

Origin:
Middle English -iste < Latin -ista < Greek -istēs; in some words, representing French -iste, German -ist, Italian -ista, etc., ≪ Latin < Greek, as above

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source

Link To -ist

00:10

-ist is always a great word to know.

So is interrobang. Does it mean:

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Collins

World English Dictionary

-ist

—*suffix*
1.	(forming nouns) a person who performs a certain action or is concerned with something specified: motorist; soloist
2.	(forming nouns) a person who practises in a specific field: physicist; typist
3.	(forming nouns and adjectives) a person who advocates a particular doctrine, system, etc, or relating to such a person or the doctrine advocated: socialist
4.	(forming nouns and adjectives) a person characterized by a specified trait, tendency, etc, or relating to such a person or trait: purist
5.	(forming nouns and adjectives) a person who is prejudiced on the basis specified: sexist; ageist

[via Old French from Latin -ista, -istēs, from Greek -istēs]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

-ist

agent noun suffix, also used to indicate adherence to a certain doctrine or custom, from Fr. -iste, from L. -ista, from Gk. -istes, from agential suffix -tes. Variant -ister (e.g. chorister, barister) is from O.Fr. -istre, on false analogy of ministre. Variant -ista is from Sp. form, popularized in Eng.

1970s by names of Latin-American revolutionary movements.

Matching Quote

"God is subtle, but he is not malicious.
[Raffiniert ist der Herr Gott, aber boshaft ist er nicht.]"

-Albert Einstein

Upgrade to Ad-free Premium Membership!

aquarist aurist Camorrista careerist cartelist ceramist