'liturgist' originates from English formation of 'liturgy' + the agent suffix '-ist', ultimately from Greek 'leitourgia', where 'leitos' meant 'public' and 'ergon' meant 'work'.

'leitourgia' (Greek) passed into Late Latin as 'liturgia' and into Middle English as 'liturgie' / 'liturgy'; the English noun 'liturgy' later took the agentive suffix '-ist' to form 'liturgist'.

Initially it meant 'public service or work' in Greek; over time it evolved to mean 'a prescribed form of public worship' (liturgy), and 'liturgist' came to mean 'one who conducts or studies those rites'.