[1610–20; homil(y) + -ist]This word is first recorded in the period 1610–20. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cult, cultivate, objective, technical, vibrate-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: apologist, dramatist, machinist, realist, socialist