comparativistn.adj.
One who employs a comparative method. spec. one who studies comparative linguistics or comparative literature. Also attributive or as adj.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > comparison > [noun] > one who compares
comparative1598
comparer1644
comparativist1887
the mind > language > linguistics > other schools of linguistics > [noun] > comparative linguistics > one who studies
comparativist1887
comparatist1933
1887 R. T. Hill in Science X. 108 The old comparativists..regardless of the inconsistency of English spelling, always inquire, ‘if Arkansas is Arkansaw, why is not Kansas, Kansaw?’
1890 Sat. Rev. 4 Oct. 392/2 This will not wholly do for our comparativist.
1922 O. Jespersen Lang. iii. 66 Classicists were no doubt perfectly right when they reproached comparativists for their neglect of syntax.
1965 Language 41 118 The rehabilitation of comparativist techniques.
1965 Language 41 192 The comparativists of the 1870's spoke of ‘speech sounds’ with perfect confidence.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online June 2019).
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n.adj.1887