'Anglicist' originates from French, specifically the word 'angliciste', where 'anglic-' meant 'English' and '-iste' meant 'one who practices or is concerned with'.

'Anglicist' changed from the French word 'angliciste' and was adopted into English (chiefly in the 19th century) to form the modern English word 'Anglicist'.

Initially, it meant 'one concerned with English (language or culture)', but over time it became used chiefly for 'a scholar or specialist in the English language or English literature'.