typist
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of typist
1835–45 for earlier sense “typesetter”; 1880–85 for current sense; type + -ist
Explanation
If you work as a typist in an office, you'll be typing up notes, reports, emails, or manuscripts. Nowadays, a typist typically uses a computer keyboard. Once upon a time, typists did all their typing on typewriters, but that's extremely unusual in today's era of computers and printers. Starting around 1884, a typist was "a person who operates a typewriter," although earlier the word meant "compositer," or the person who arranges type in a printing press. Typist comes from type, which derives from the Greek root typos, "dent, impression, or mark."
Vocabulary lists containing typist
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sir Michael remembered: "Terry was the faster typist, so he would do most of the typing. And come to think of it, he also made the coffee depending where we were working."
From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026
When did I become such a terrible iPhone typist?
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026
For years, as a two-finger typist, he exuberantly turned out one major article after another.
From New York Times • Jan. 12, 2024
Eileen did not appear to have writerly aspirations, though she did act as Orwell’s note taker, first reader, editor, typist, agent and more.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2023
In 1967, a typist from the Marshall Library started coming in to help them once a week.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
