Nonspecialists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who lacks expert knowledge or professional training in a particular field
2. an individual without specialized skills or detailed information on a specific subject
3. someone involved in a general context and not an authority in any specific area

Etymology: "Nonspecialists" is the plural of "nonspecialist", which is simply the prefix non- attached to "specialist". The prefix comes from Old English "nān" (meaning "not one" or "none"), which passed through Middle English "non" and became the familiar negating element used in English words like nonsense and nonfiction. "Specialist" is built from "special" and the agent suffix "-ist", describing someone devoted to a particular branch of knowledge or skill. Put together, the word is a plain negation: someone who is not a specialist. Its meaning therefore rests entirely on the contrast with "specialist" rather than on any independent history of its own. The compound shows how English readily combines a negating prefix with an existing noun to name a class of people defined by what they lack.

Synonyms: generalists, laypersons, amateurs, novices, nonexperts

Antonyms: specialists, experts, professionals, authorities, connoisseurs