specialist

Etymology

Borrowed from French spécialiste, equivalent to special +‎ -ist.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspɛʃəlɪst/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

specialist (comparative more specialist, superlative most specialist)

1. (British) Specialised, involving detailed knowledge of a restricted topic.
   • 2021 December 15, Robin Leleux, “Awards honour the best restoration projects: Special Award: Signal Box Restoration”, in RAIL, number 946, page 57:

     This was a highly specialist job, and it has been very carefully carried out so that it is very hard to see that these windows are now modern replacements.

Noun

specialist (plural specialists)

1. Someone who is an expert in, or devoted to, some specific branch of study or research.

   Synonyms: aficionado, enthusiast, connoisseur

2. (sports) A player on a team who primarily employs one particular skill or takes one particular role.

   Antonym: all-rounder

3. (medicine) A physician whose practice is limited to a particular branch of medicine or surgery.

   Hypernyms: see Thesaurus:physician

   • 1964 September 24, “ROBERT L. HUTTON, DIAGNOSTICIAN, 83; Internist Dies —Had Been on Lincoln Hospital Staff”, in The New York Times‎:

     Dr. Robert Leroy Hutton, a retired specialist in internal medicine and a well‐known diagnostician, died yesterday here.

   • 2017 June 3, Jamie Koufman, “The Specialists’ Stranglehold on Medicine”, in The New York Times‎:

     Most Americans mistakenly believe that they must see specialists for almost every medical problem.

4. (US, military) Any of several non-commissioned ranks corresponding to that of corporal.
5. An organism that is specialized for a particular environment.

   The tree Lepidothamnus laxifolius is a high alpine specialist found in high-altitude bog communities and in scrub.

6. A stenotopic species.
7. A sixth-former at Eton College.

Further reading

• specialist on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “specialist”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams

• plasticise

Etymology

Borrowed from French spécialiste. Equivalent to speciaal +‎ -ist.

Pronunciation

• (Netherlands) IPA^(key): /ˌspeː.ʃaːˈlɪst/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: spe‧ci‧a‧list
• Rhymes: -ɪst

Noun

specialist m (plural specialisten, diminutive specialistje n, feminine specialiste)

1. specialist

Etymology

Borrowed from French spécialiste.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

specialist m (plural specialiști, feminine equivalent specialistă)

1. specialist

   Synonym: expert

Etymology

special +‎ -ist

Noun

specialist c

1. a specialist

   Antonym: generalist

References

• specialist in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• specialist in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• specialist in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)