memoirist

The word 'memoirist' is a modern English formation, combining the noun 'memoir' with the agent suffix '-ist'. Its core component, 'memoir', entered English from French in the 16th century, carrying the sense of a written record or narrative based on personal recollection. This French term derives from the Latin 'memoria', meaning "memory", which itself originates from the Proto-Indo-European root 'mer-', meaning "to remember". The suffix '-ist', of Greek origin, was adopted into Latin and later English to designate a person specializing in a particular activity. Thus, a 'memoirist' is literally "one who practices or specializes in writing memoirs," logically connecting the act of remembering ('memoir') with the professional who performs it ('-ist').

Structure: memoir (written account) + ist (person who practices) - memoir: From French 'mémoire', meaning "memory, written record". Ultimately from Latin 'memoria', meaning "memory, remembrance". - ist: A suffix of Greek origin (via Latin '-ista') used to form agent nouns, denoting a person who practices or is concerned with something.