specialist

[spesh-uh-list]

noun

1. a person who is devoted to one subject or to one particular branch of a subject or pursuit.

2. a medical practitioner who devotes attention to a particular class of diseases, patients, etc.

3. U.S. Army.,  an enlisted person of one of four grades having technical or administrative duties, the grades corresponding to those of corporal through sergeant first class but not requiring the exercise of command.

4. Stock Exchange.,  a member of an exchange who buys and sells a single stock or a particular group of stocks in their own name or for other stockbrokers and thus helps maintain the market in those securities on that exchange.

specialist

/ ˈspɛʃəlɪst /

noun

1. 1. a person who specializes in or devotes himself to a particular area of activity, field of research, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      specialist knowledge

2. an enlisted rank in the US Army denoting technical qualifications that entitle the holder to a noncommissioned officer's pay

3. ecology an organism that has special nutritional requirements and lives in a restricted habitat that provides these Compare generalist

Other Word Forms

• specialistic adjective
• nonspecialist noun
• prespecialist noun
• subspecialist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of specialist¹

First recorded in 1855–60; special + -ist

Example Sentences

The Scottish government has set a standard that 90% of people referred for help with problematic drug or alcohol use should receive specialist treatment within three weeks.

Read more on BBC

Instead, the specialist who handled her scans found the pattern of damage to her brain matched the symmetrical injuries seen in soldiers who had been exposed to gases during combat.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

As a specialist in autism, she says she feels comfortable trying the medication temporarily with certain patients but adds there isn’t enough evidence for a universal recommendation.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Many people in the U.S. have asymptomatic hepatitis B, says O’Leary, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

However, Adams notes, “Patients are saying, ‘Look, if I have to wait six weeks to see a specialist to get answers about this, that is a safety risk for me as well.’”

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• authority 
• consultant 
• doctor 
• guru 
• professional 
• scholar 
• technician