Corporatists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals or groups that advocate for corporate interests, often prioritizing profit and business over public welfare or environmental considerations
2. People who support the increasing influence of corporations in politics and society, frequently emphasizing capitalism and free markets
3. Advocates for policies that favor large businesses and their involvement in governance, typically at the expense of smaller enterprises and social equity

Etymology: Corporatists are, in a sense, the plural of a word built from two familiar parts: "corporate" plus the suffix "-ist", which marks a person who follows or supports a doctrine. The noun "corporatist" entered the language in the late 1800s, and the plural simply names more than one such supporter. The base word "corporate" comes from the Latin "corporatus", the past participle of "corporare", meaning to form into a body. That idea of many individuals joined into a single legal body is the root of the modern sense, where a corporation is an organization treated as a person in law. Over time the adjective "corporate" came to describe large business enterprises in general, and "corporatist" grew from that business sense into a label for those who favour corporate power in politics and society.