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cruciverbalist

[kroo-suh-vur-buh-list]
noun
  1. a designer or aficionado of crossword puzzles.

Origin of cruciverbalist

1975–80; < Latin cruci‐, stem of crux cross + verbalist
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for cruciverbalist

cruciverbalist

noun
  1. a crossword puzzle enthusiast

Word Origin for cruciverbalist

C20: from Latin crux cross + verbum word
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for cruciverbalist
n.

"maker of crossword puzzles," by 1990, coined in English from Latin cruci-, comb. form of crux "cross" (see cross (n.)) + verbum "word" (see verb).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper