Authenticist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person dedicated to preserving and promoting genuine expressions of art and culture while opposing imitation and superficiality
2. An individual who prioritizes true originality and quality in creative or philosophical endeavors, resisting false representations
3. A person who emphasizes the importance of genuine creativity and original expression in artistic or cultural contexts, standing against imitation and superficiality

Etymology: "Authenticist" is a plain English formation: "authentic" with the suffix "-ist" attached, meaning a person who champions authenticity or genuineness. The suffix did a long journey before it reached English. It began as a Proto-Indo-European building block that Ancient Greek turned into "-istes," used for people who practise or devote themselves to something, and the Romans borrowed it as "-ista." It then passed into Old French as "-iste" and entered Middle English as "-ist," which is how English now attaches it to words of every sort, from "artist" to "pianist." The base word has its own path. "Authentic" came into English through Old French from Latin and Greek, with its sense of genuine, reliable, or original. Put together, the two parts describe someone who insists that things be real rather than imitations or fabrications.