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numismatist

numismatist

1 9.9
A person who collects and studies coins, paper money, and medals
  • noun
  • /njuːˈmɪzmətɪst/
  • Specialized
translation icon : numismático
  • The university hired a numismatist to lecture on the economic impact of currency changes.

Examples

  • A proud numismatist displayed his rare coins at the local fair.

  • Philip De Vicci, another individual who has investigated this coin, wrote last year in The Numismatist that there was a significant debasement of gold coinage during the reign of Constantine IX.

    Academic text (1995)
  • "Maybe we should have a numismatist look at this," he says.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • So I became a numismatist, which is a big word for a coin nerd.

  • Usually, numismatists focus their attention on political history: who ruled when, how rich a country was, and so on.

    Academic text (1995)
  • No, these coins are quite common, and of very little interest to numismatists.

  • I'm not exactly a coin collector, and I'm far from a numismatist.

    Blog text (9)
  • "These men are all numismatists and philatelists.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • These officers are qualified archaeologists or numismatists able to identify and record archaeological objects brought to their attention.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Numismatists run age and circulation-condition distribution analyses on old coin hoards to determine what the ancient economies were doing when the hoard was buried.

    Blog text (6)

Synonyms

coin collector
vsnumismatist
3 2.8

A person who keeps and studies old and rare coins as a hobby or for work

includes not only coins but also paper money and medals
numismatologist
vsnumismatist
  • Specialized
9.9

A person who studies or collects coins, paper money, and medals

is an alternative term for the same idea without meaning change
numismatic
vsnumismatist
  • Specialized
9.7

A person who studies or collects coins, paper money and medals

is the same concept expressed with different wording

Surface Forms

numismatist singular
numismatists plural

Morphology

numismatist = numismatics (semi-transparent) = numismat + ist

The agentive suffix '-ist' clearly forms 'a person who studies or collects', but the root 'numismat-' (and the field name 'numismatics') is specialized and not familiar to average learners.

Etymology

The word numismatist comes from an old Greek word nomisma and the form numisma, which mean 'coin' or 'money'. So a numismatist is someone who studies or collects coins and paper money.