generalist C2+ Topic:People & Society US /ˈdʒɛnrəlɪst/ UK /ˈdʒɛnrəlɪst/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a person competent in several fields rather than one specialty As a generalist, the doctor handled everything from rashes to fractures. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a person competent in... polymathall-rounderjack-of-all-trades ↔ Opposites specialistexpert Word family Derived forms generalism Related forms generalgeneralize Etymology AI details From 'general' (from Latin 'generalis' 'relating to a whole class', from 'genus' 'kind, class') plus the agent suffix '-ist'. generalis Latin genus Latin View etymology graph -> Topics People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # generalist **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈdʒɛnrəlɪst/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈdʒɛnrəlɪst/ ## Meanings 1. a person competent in several fields rather than one specialty ## Examples - As a generalist, the doctor handled everything from rashes to fractures. ## Synonyms - polymath - all-rounder - jack-of-all-trades ## Antonyms - specialist - expert ## Derived Forms - generalism ## Related Forms - general - generalize ## Roots and Affixes - Root: generalis - Root: genus ## Etymology From 'general' (from Latin 'generalis' 'relating to a whole class', from 'genus' 'kind, class') plus the agent suffix '-ist'. ## AI Etymology Generalist comes from 'general' (from Latin 'generalis' 'relating to a whole class', from 'genus' 'kind, class') plus the agent suffix '-ist'. The development is chiefly a borrowing or learned continuation, carrying an older form and meaning into English rather than building the word from a purely native base. In present use, it is used as a noun and adjective meaning "a person competent in several fields rather than one specialty", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes derivatives such as generalism and related forms such as general and generalize, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Latin generalis and Latin genus, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. ## Topics - People & Society - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown