Adventist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A member of a Christian denomination emphasizing the imminent return of Christ and observing the Sabbath on Saturday
2. An individual belonging to a religious group that focuses on the second coming and practices health and dietary guidelines
3. Someone who identifies with a faith that stresses modern prophetic interpretation and promotes holistic living principles

Etymology: Adventist is a plain formation, built in English from the noun "Advent," meaning the coming of Christ, plus the suffix "-ist," which marks a follower or believer. The "-ist" ending reaches English through Old French "-iste" from Latin "-ista," itself borrowed from Greek "-istēs," the agent suffix that names someone who practises or adheres to something. So an adventist is, in effect, a person who adheres to the Advent: someone for whom the second coming of Christ is central to belief. The suffix is ancient, but the word is not. "Advent" entered English through Latin "adventus," meaning "arrival," and the religious sense of the expected return of Christ gave the noun its core meaning. Adding "-ist" to name a faith community is a pattern English uses widely, as with "Calvinist" or "Methodist," so the word reads transparently: one who believes in the Advent.

Synonyms: believer, follower, worshipper, Christian, sectarian