Ceremonialist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A practitioner who emphasizes the importance of traditions and rituals in formal events
2. A person who expertly arranges and oversees traditional ceremonies and formal events
3. An individual skilled in conducting and managing ceremonial practices according to established customs

Etymology: "Ceremonialist" is a plain formation: the adjective "ceremonial" with the suffix "-ist" attached, producing a noun for someone who practises or manages something. "Ceremonial" itself came into English from Medieval Latin "caerimonialis", which relates to "caerimonia", the Latin word for sacred rite or solemn observance. The suffix "-ist" comes from Greek "-istēs", through Latin "-ista", and has long been used to name people who follow a practice, belief or occupation, as in "artist" or "dentist". Put together, the word names a person whose job is to organise and oversee rituals, a role that sits close to the master of ceremonies at a formal event. Its meaning stays literal: it describes someone working with ceremony itself, not a figurative or shifted sense.

Synonyms: ritualist, celebrant