Selfist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person exhibiting excessive concern with their own interests or needs, often disregarding others; someone acting primarily out of self-interest or selfishness; an individual focused excessively on oneself at the expense of social considerations
2. An individual characterized by prioritizing personal desires and welfare over those of others, displaying egocentric behavior; one motivated chiefly by self-gain; a person habitually placing oneself first in decisions or actions
3. Someone demonstrating self-centered attitudes and behaviors, concentrating on their own benefits without regard for others; a person motivated by personal advantage; an ego-driven individual with limited regard to external concerns

Etymology: "Selfist" is a plain formation: the noun "self" with the suffix "-ist," which in English forms nouns for people who practise, believe in, or are characterised by something. Put together, the pieces describe someone who is absorbed in their own concerns, much as "egotist" describes a person devoted to themselves. The suffix "-ist" came into English through French from Greek "-istes," a marker of an agent, so a "-ist" word names a person by an activity or outlook. Attaching it to "self" gave English a compact label for the trait without needing a longer phrase. The word is a transparent coinage rather than an old inherited term, so its meaning can be read straight from its parts.