Computist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A specialist in mathematical calculation and numerical problem-solving ; a scholar trained in determining ecclesiastical calendar dates such as Easter
2. Someone proficient in performing complex arithmetic and computations ; a member of the clergy or scholarly community responsible for working out moveable feast dates
3. An expert in computational methods and numerical analysis ; a person versed in the mathematical calculation of religious observances and their dates

Etymology: "Computist" is a plain formation: the noun "compute" with the suffix "-ist," which marks a person who practises or specialises in something. A computist, then, is someone who does computation, most often a person skilled in calendar calculation, the reckoning of dates, tides and feast days. That older sense is the point of interest. In medieval Europe, computus, the science of calculating the church calendar, was a serious specialist field, and the people who practised it were computists. The modern word for someone who works with computers has taken over the general territory, but the term was once tied to the arithmetic of time rather than machines.

Synonyms: calculator, mathematician