notionalistn.
/ˈnəʊʃn̩əlɪst/, /ˈnəʊʃn̩l̩ɪst/, /ˈnəʊʃənl̩ɪst/, /ˈnəʊʃ(ə)nəlɪst/, U.S. /ˈnoʊʃənələst/, /ˈnoʊʃnələst/ Now rare.† 1. A speculative thinker; a theorist. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > speculation > [noun] > one who speculates
speculator1555
theoric1594
speculatist1613
speculativea1638
notionalista1677
speculist1707
a1677 T. Manton Serm. Psalm cxix (1687) cvi. 100 A young practiser hath more understanding than an ancient notionalist.
1716 M. Davies Diss. Physick 25 in Athenæ Britannicæ III The Counterfeit Jew-Physical Notionalists be Pseudo-Salmon, Pseudo-Maria [etc.].
1831 Edinb. Rev. June 529 No notionalist..can be so practically insane, as to see an abstract right or wrong in any particular combination of political powers.
1897 Philos. Rev. 6 33 High notionalist Aristotle certainly is; but, just for that reason, he will also be, all the more, hard realist: fact must test the value of concepts, illustrate and verify theory.
2. Linguistics. A person concerned with semantic context. Cf. notional adj. 4b. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > semantics > [noun] > one who studies
semasiologist1897
semanticist1901
semantician1918
notionalist1992
1992 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 5 July 6 Notionalists, the swingers in this scrap, concentrate on meaning; formalists, on grammatical concord.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.a1677