Americanist
|A-mer-i-can-ist|
/əˈmɛrɪkənɪst/
specialist in American studies
Etymology
'Americanist' originates from English, specifically the word 'American' + the suffix '-ist', where 'American' meant 'of or relating to America' and the suffix '-ist' meant 'one who practices, specializes in, or is concerned with'.
'American' ultimately derives from the name 'America', applied to the continents after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci; 'America' comes from a Latinized form of 'Amerigo' (Americus). The formation 'American' + '-ist' was used in English scholarship (from the 19th century onward) to form the noun 'Americanist'.
Initially components referred simply to 'of or relating to America' (American) and 'one who practices' (-ist); over time the compound came to mean specifically 'a specialist in American studies or in the languages/cultures of the Americas'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a scholar or specialist in American studies — the history, culture, literature, or politics of the Americas (often used especially for specialists in U.S. studies).
She is an Americanist who focuses on 19th-century U.S. literature.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a linguist who studies the indigenous languages of the Americas (sometimes called an Amerindianist).
As an Americanist, he has published extensively on Algonquian phonology.
Synonyms
Adjective 1
relating to Americanists or to American studies (their methods, scholarship, or subject matter).
Americanist methods have influenced interdisciplinary approaches to cultural history.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/24 02:53