Statists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group or ideology advocating for the role of the state in regulating and controlling economic and social affairs
2. individuals who support government intervention in the economy and public policy decisions
3. proponents of a political system where the state holds substantial authority over individual freedoms and market dynamics

Etymology: "Statists" is the plural of "statist," a noun for someone who supports a strong, centralised state. The word is a plain formation: "state" with the suffix "-ist," which denotes a person who adheres to a doctrine or practice. The suffix itself came into English through Old French from Latin "-ista," which was borrowed from Greek "-istēs," an agent suffix that formed words for people who practise or follow something, so a statist is, literally, a "state-follower." The base word "state" has a long road behind it. It descends from Latin "status," meaning a standing or condition, from the verb "stare," to stand. Through Old French "estat" it entered Middle English, where its earliest senses concerned a person's rank or condition, and only later did it come to mean a political community under one government. The modern political sense of "state" is therefore the newer development, and "statist" builds on that political meaning rather than on the older sense of social standing.

Synonyms: government supporters