apiarist

American  

[ey-pee-uh-rist] / ˈeɪ pi ə rɪst /

noun

1. a person who keeps an apiary.

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apiarist British  

/ ˈeɪpɪərɪst /

noun

1. a person who studies or keeps bees

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Etymology

Origin of apiarist

First recorded in 1810–20; apiar(y) + -ist

Explanation

Apiarist is a fancy word for a beekeeper. An apiarist enjoys working with an unusual kind of pet, the honeybee. Because bees and other pollinators are so important to a healthy environment scientists encourage “bee-spotting” to improve fruits and vegetables. The -ist suffix is a Greek form that means “a person connected with.” So, a good apiarist is probably a strong environmentalist.

Example Sentences

Six years ago, Tucson native and sommelier Noel Patterson began amateur beekeeping after receiving a hive as a gift from a skilled local apiarist.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2021

Murray Borer, an apiarist and president of his regional beekeeper's association, told the BBC his industry has been decimated by the pesticide.

From BBC • Nov. 24, 2016

“We’re not worried about the bees going extinct, we’re worried about the beekeepers going extinct,” Dennis vanEngelsdorp, an apiarist from the University of Maryland, told the Wall Street Journal.

From Washington Times • Jun. 26, 2016

On that day in Mr. Moles’s truck, I passed fallow hayfields, cutting into the plantation from its southern corner to rattle through fields where an apiarist had established a little metropolis of white-painted hives.

From New York Times • Nov. 22, 2012

They will, therefore, to use the picturesque expression of the apiarist, "ball "the queenly intruder; in other words, they will entirely surround her with their innumerable interlaced bodies.

From The Life of the Bee by Sutro, Alfred