[1855–60; ballad + -ist]This word is first recorded in the period 1855–60. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: barrage, boilerplate, lavabo, pipeline, specialist-ist is a suffix of nouns, often corresponding to verbs ending in -ize or nouns ending in -ism, that denote a person who practices or is concerned with something, or holds certainprinciples, doctrines, etc. Other words that use the affix -ist include: Thomist, dramatist, machinist, novelist, realist