Communist

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒm.jʊ.nɪst/

Definitions

1. An individual who promotes a socio-economic system intending to eliminate private ownership in favor of communal control of resources
2. A person who advocates for a political and economic regime based on shared ownership and classless society ; an individual officially belonging to an organization that upholds communist principles
3. Someone who backs a system aiming to abolish private property and promote equal distribution of wealth ; an affiliate of a political group dedicated to communist goals

Etymology: The word "communist" grew out of "commun", the French word for "common" or "communal", to which the French added the suffix "-iste", meaning a follower or supporter of a doctrine. Its ancestry runs back through Latin "communis", "common", which itself traces to a Proto-Indo-European root that also gave English words like "mutual" and "municipal" in the sense of shared obligation. The suffix "-ist" came into the picture through Latin "-ista", borrowed from Greek "-istēs", a suffix for someone who practises or believes in something. The word is a French formation, borrowed into English from "communiste". The surface logic is that it looks like "commune" plus "-ist", and that is how many people read it, but the French form was built on "commun" directly. The result is a label that means, in plain terms, a supporter of shared or common ownership.

Synonyms: Marxist, socialist, leftist

Antonyms: capitalist, liberal, conservative