harpsichordist

The word 'harpsichordist' is a modern English formation that combines the name of the instrument with an agent suffix. The instrument's name, 'harpsichord', entered English from the obsolete Italian 'arpicordo', itself a compound of 'arpa' (harp) and 'corda' (string), reflecting the instrument's mechanism where strings are plucked. The suffix '-ist', with a long lineage from Greek '-istes' (denoting an agent) via Latin, is productively attached to nouns in English to indicate a person skilled in or devoted to a particular art, practice, or system. Thus, a harpsichordist is literally "one concerned with the harp-string instrument," a term that emerged to specify a performer distinct from pianists as interest in historical instruments revived.

Structure: harpsichord + ist - harpsichord: From Italian 'arpicordo', from 'arpa' (harp) + 'corda' (string). The name of the keyboard instrument. - ist: A suffix of Greek origin (via Latin '-ista'), denoting a person who practices or is concerned with something.