Where does “classicist” come from?

Classicist comes from English classic plus the suffix -ista from Latin, where classis originally meant a class or division, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots.

classicist (English): A classical scholar, especially one who studies...

Definitions

A classical scholar, especially one who studies...

Ancestry of “classicist”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	English	-ist	Added to words to form nouns denoting
2	Old French	-iste	—
3	Latin	-ista	-ist; one who practises or believes
4	Ancient Greek	-ιστής	Alternative form of -τής; -ist
5	Ancient Greek	-τής	Appended to verbs to form agent nouns
6	Proto-Hellenic	-tās	—

Words derived from “classicist”

classicistic

Every word from Proto-Hellenic -tās →Every word from English -ist →Every word from Ancient Greek -τής →