Numerologist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual engaged in the study of the spiritual and mystical implications of numbers
2. Someone who explores the connections between numbers and personal experiences while providing insights into character
3. An expert who examines numbers to reveal hidden meanings and influence in life events

Etymology: "Numerologist" is a plain compound: "numerology" with the agent suffix "-ist" added to name a practitioner. "Numerology" itself joins the Latin-derived "numer-", from "numerus" meaning "number," with the Greek-derived "-logy," from "logia," meaning "study of" or "discourse on." So a numerologist is, quite literally, someone who studies or speaks about numbers. The suffix "-ist" has a longer route than the word it is attached to. It comes from Ancient Greek "-istēs," used to form nouns for people who practise or follow something. The Greek form passed into Latin as "-ista," then into Old French as "-iste," and entered Middle English in the same family of agent endings, so that English could freely create names for practitioners of any discipline. Most English "-ist" words, like "dentist" or "pianist," follow this same pattern.

Synonyms: numerologist