florist
Meaning
a person who sells and arranges cut flowers and plants
a shop that sells cut flowers and plants
Structure
Usage
she ordered a beautiful bouquet from the local florist.
he trained as a florist before opening his own shop.
the hotel lobby was filled with arrangements from a famous florist.
Etymology
the word 'florist' entered english in the early 17th century from the french 'fleuriste', itself derived from the latin 'flōs' (flower). the latin root can be traced back to the proto-indo-european bʰleh₃-, meaning 'to bloom, flower'. the suffix '-ist', denoting an agent, was adopted into latin from greek '-istēs'. thus, the term literally and logically means 'a person concerned with flowers', evolving from a general enthusiast of flowers to its modern, more commercial sense of a seller or arranger of flowers.
Analysis
'flor' originates from latin 'flōs, flōr-', meaning 'flower'. 'ist' is a suffix of greek origin (via latin '-ista') used to form agent nouns, denoting a person who practices or is concerned with something.