Theoriser

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual who contemplates and formulates concepts or theories based on speculation and intellectual reasoning rather than empirical evidence
2. A person who speculates on various subjects to create theoretical frameworks and ideas that lack direct practical application
3. Someone who constructs ideas and models to explain phenomena purely through reasoning

Etymology: "Theoriser" is simply a British spelling of "theorizer," and it is a plain formation: the verb "theorize" with the agent suffix "-er," meaning one who does the action. "Theorize" itself comes from "theory," which traces back through Late Latin "theoria" and Greek "theōria," meaning contemplation or a viewing of something. The original sense was closer to seeing and observing than to speculating, so the word for someone who builds explanations carries the idea of looking at a thing from a distance. The "-ize" in "theorize" follows the pattern of many English verbs formed from nouns, and the "-er" ending is one of the most productive suffixes in the language, used for people who perform an activity, from "writer" to "baker." Put together, a theorizer is literally a person who does theorizing, and the spelling difference is the only thing separating the British and American forms.

Synonyms: theorist, philosopher, speculator, thinker, intellectual