Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “organist” come from?

Organist comes from Middle French organiste, Medieval Latin organista, Latin organum (a musical instrument), Ancient Greek ὄργανον (tool or instrument), and Proto-Indo-European werǵ- (to work).

organist (English): A musician who plays the organ

Definitions

  1. A musician who plays the organ

Ancestry of “organist”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchorganiste—
2Medieval Latinorganista—
3Latinorganuman implement, instrument, tool; any musical...
4Ancient Greekὄργανονinstrument, implement, tool; sense organ; musical...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwerǵ-to make
Every word from Proto-Indo-European werǵ- →