occultist

The word 'occultist' is built upon the Latin root occultus, meaning 'hidden' or 'concealed'. This term originally described phenomena or knowledge that was deliberately kept secret or was beyond ordinary perception. The suffix -ist, of Greek origin via Latin, is a common agentive ending used to form nouns indicating a practitioner or adherent of a specific practice or doctrine. Thus, an 'occultist' is literally 'one concerned with the hidden'. Over centuries, the term evolved from a general descriptor of secret knowledge to its modern, specialized association with esoteric systems of magic, divination, and mystical philosophy that are believed to access hidden truths of the universe.

Structure: occult + ist - occult: from Latin occultus ('hidden, concealed, secret'), past participle of occulere ('to cover over, hide'). Functions as the core adjective/root meaning 'hidden' or 'secret'. - ist: from Greek -istes (via Latin -ista), an agent noun suffix denoting 'a person who practices or is concerned with something'. Functions as a noun-forming suffix.