Algebraist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A mathematician focused on the principles and techniques associated with symbolic representation and manipulation in algebra
2. An expert in the study of mathematical symbols, their relationships, and the rules governing their use in equations
3. A person who studies and works with abstract algebraic structures and concepts

Etymology: "Algebraist" is a plain formation: English "algebra" plus the suffix "-ist", which marks a person who practises or specialises in something. The suffix arrived in English through Middle English from Old French "-iste", which came from Latin "-ista" and ultimately from Greek "-istēs", an agent suffix found in words for practitioners such as "cyclist" or "pianist" in modern usage. The Greek suffix itself was built on the verb-forming element "-izein", so the pattern of turning an activity into a person's job is very old. The base word has a more unusual history. "Algebra" comes from Medieval Latin "algebra", borrowed from Arabic "al-jabr", meaning "the reunion of broken parts" or "restoration", a term drawn from the title of a ninth-century treatise by al-Khwarizmi on solving equations. The Arabic root "jabara" meant to set a broken bone or restore something to wholeness, so a mathematical method for balancing equations took its name from surgery.