socialist
UK[ˈsəʊʃəlɪst]US[ˈsoʊʃəlɪst]
n
a person who believes in or supports socialism, a political and economic theory advocating that a country's land, transport, natural resources, and chief industries should be owned or controlled by the whole community or by the state.
adj
relating to or supporting socialism.
Morpheme Breakdown
social
ist
social
relating to society
ist
adherent/agent
Etymology
the word 'socialist' is a modern formation built upon the established english adjective 'social'. the root 'social' traces back to the latin socius, meaning companion or ally, which itself may derive from the proto-indo-european root sekw- (to follow). the suffix '-ist', denoting an adherent of a doctrine, entered english via latin from greek. therefore, a 'socialist' is literally "one concerned with society or companionship," a meaning which evolved in the early 19th century to specifically denote a proponent of the political and economic system (socialism) that emphasizes collective or state ownership for the benefit of society as a whole.
Analysis
Structure: social (relating to society) + ist (adherent/agent)
social: from latin socialis (allied, companionable), from socius (companion, ally). functions as the core adjective/root denoting society or companionship.
ist: from greek -istes (agent suffix), via latin -ista. functions as a noun-forming suffix denoting a person who practices, believes in, or is concerned with something.
Examples
she was a committed socialist who advocated for public ownership of utilities.
the party's socialist policies included expanding healthcare and education funding.
early socialist thinkers critiqued the inequalities produced by industrial capitalism.