Capitalist

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkæp.ɪ.tə.lɪst/

Definitions

1. A person who supports an economic system based on private ownership and free markets, or someone who owns significant wealth or business assets
2. An individual who promotes or engages in an economy characterized by private ownership and market competition, or one who possesses substantial financial resources and investments
3. A person who advocates for a system where property and businesses are privately owned and strive for profit, or someone who has considerable wealth and capital assets

Etymology: The idea behind "capitalist" starts with cattle. Its root is Latin "caput," meaning "head," and the Latin adjective "capitalis" meant something like "of the head" or "chief." From that came "capital" in the sense of wealth or property, perhaps because livestock was counted by the head and was once a common measure of a person's holdings. The noun "capital" for accumulated wealth passed into English through Old French and was in use by the Middle English period. The word "capitalist" itself was built in English from "capital" plus the suffix "-ist," which denotes a person who follows or supports something. The suffix came into English through Old French from Latin "-ista," itself borrowed from Greek. The structure is a calque: English copied the French "capitaliste," which had already been formed the same way. Note that "capitalism," the system, is a separate later formation built on the same stem. The person-noun "capitalist" follows the pattern of many other English words ending in "-ist," such as "socialist" and "artist," in which the suffix marks an adherent or practitioner.

Synonyms: entrepreneur, investor, businessman, financier, tycoon

Antonyms: socialist, communist, proletarian, worker, laborer