historiaster

Meanings

1. An inferior historian.

Etymology

Probably borrowed from New Latin historiaster, from Latin historia (“history”) + -aster (suffix denoting incomplete or partial resemblance, and hence sometimes having a derogatory connotation). Historia is derived from Ancient Greek ῐ̔στορῐ́ᾱ (hĭstorĭ́ā, “systematic observation, inquiry; knowledge or written account of such an inquiry”), from ῐ̔στορέω (hĭstoréō, “to ask, inquire; to examine, observe; to record”) (from ῐ̔́στωρ (hĭ́stōr, “one who knows law and right, judge; wise man; witness”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see”)) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). Analyzable as history + -aster.