narcissist
UK[ˈnɑːsɪsɪst]US[ˈnɑːrsəsɪst]
n
A person who has an excessive interest in or admiration of themselves, especially their physical appearance.
n
In psychology, a person with narcissistic personality disorder, characterized by a grandiose sense of self-importance and a lack of empathy.
Morpheme Breakdown
narciss
ist
narciss
name
ist
person who practices
Etymology
The word 'narcissist' is a direct borrowing of the modern German term Narzisst, coined in the late 19th century by psychiatric writers. It is built upon the name Narcissus, the youth from Greek mythology who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water and wasted away. The suffix -ist is added to form an agent noun, indicating a person characterized by the qualities of the mythological figure. Thus, the term's logic moves from a specific mythological name to a general psychological concept describing a person with extreme self-love and vanity.
Analysis
Structure: narciss (name) + ist (person who practices)
- narciss: From Latin Narcissus, the name of a character in Greek mythology, from Greek Narkissos. It functions as the core root carrying the specific mythological reference.
- ist: A suffix of Greek origin (via Latin -ista, Greek -istēs), denoting a person who practices, is concerned with, or holds certain principles. It functions as an agent-noun suffix.
Examples
He was such a narcissist that he could talk for hours about his own achievements.
The therapist specialized in treating narcissists and their relationship patterns.
Her social media feed, filled only with selfies, earned her a reputation as a narcissist among her friends.