Antiquarist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who studies, collects, or deals in objects from ancient or former times, particularly manuscripts, books, or artifacts of historical value
2. A scholar or collector with specialized knowledge of ancient texts, artifacts, or relics who pursues their study and acquisition as a serious intellectual or commercial endeavor
3. A scholar devoted to acquiring, researching, and analyzing ancient manuscripts, artifacts, and relics with expert historical knowledge

Etymology: "Antiquarist" is a straightforward formation: it takes "antiquary," a word for a student of old things, and adds the suffix "-ist," which marks a person who practises or follows something. An antiquarist is therefore someone who practises antiquarianism, the study of ancient objects and records. The base word carries the older history. "Antiquary" comes from Latin "antiquarius," meaning someone concerned with ancient things, built on "antiquus," "old" or "ancient." Over time the word took on the sense of a collector and student of relics and manuscripts, and the suffix "-ist" was added to name the person pursuing that work as a practice.

Synonyms: antiquarian