Abacists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals skilled in the use of a counting tool known as an abacus
2. Those who utilize an ancient mathematical device for calculations and numerical tasks
3. Practitioners of arithmetic who employ a traditional tool for counting and computation

Etymology: "Abacists" is the plural of "abacist," a word that goes back through Middle English "abaciste" and Medieval Latin "abacista" to "abacus," with the suffix "-ista" (the source of English "-ist") attached. The Latin "abacus" itself came from Greek "abax," meaning a flat board or slab, which is why the counting frame began as a tray or table on which pebbles or counters were laid out. The pattern is simple: a tool name plus the agent suffix produces a name for the person who works it. Just as a "cyclist" rides a cycle, an abacist was someone trained to calculate on the abacus, a skill that mattered in medieval Europe when calculating with Roman numerals was cumbersome. The word is a plain technical formation rather than a story of a famous coiner, so its interest lies mainly in tracing the tool's name back to a simple flat board.

Synonyms: calculators