Obituarist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A specialist in drafting commemorative notices for deceased individuals to honor their lives and legacies
2. An expert in composing written tributes that celebrate and summarize the lives of those who have passed away
3. A person who writes detailed notices announcing someone's death and describing their life and achievements

Etymology: Obituarist is a straightforward formation: "obituary" with the suffix "-ist," which English took from Latin "-ista" through Old French "-iste." The suffix goes back further still, to Ancient Greek "-istēs," used to name a person who practises or follows something, so the "-ist" in a word like this marks someone who works with the thing named by the base. The base word, "obituary," is the older part of the story. It was first formed from Latin "obitus," meaning death or departure, which is also the source of the English word "obit." Because "obituary" came to mean a notice of someone's death, a person who writes such notices needed a name of their own, and "obituarist" fills that role.

Synonyms: eulogist, necrologist