caricaturist
Meaning
An artist who specializes in creating caricatures.
Structure
Usage
The political caricaturist skillfully exaggerated the senator's distinctive features in the daily newspaper.
She became a successful caricaturist, drawing humorous portraits of tourists at the seaside.
The exhibition featured works by several famous 19th-century caricaturists.
Etymology
The word 'caricaturist' is a relatively modern English formation, built upon the earlier noun 'caricature'. 'Caricature' entered English in the 18th century from Italian 'caricatura', which derived from the verb 'caricare', meaning 'to load, burden, or exaggerate'. This Italian term itself originates from Late Latin 'carricare', meaning 'to load a vehicle', tracing back to Latin 'carrus', meaning 'wagon'. The semantic evolution moved from the literal act of loading or burdening to the figurative sense of overloading features for comic or satirical effect. The suffix '-ist', of Greek origin via Latin and French, is a standard agent-noun suffix appended to 'caricature' to denote a person who creates such exaggerated portraits, completing the word's logical construction as "one who practices caricature."
Analysis
- caricature: From Italian 'caricatura', from 'caricare' (to load, exaggerate), of Latin origin. - ist: A suffix of Greek origin via Latin and French, forming agent nouns denoting a person who practices or is concerned with something.