What does encyclopedist mean?
An encyclopedist is a person who compiles, writes for, or edits an encyclopedia — a creator of works that aim to gather human knowledge systematically within a single reference source. The word carries strong historical resonance: the Encyclopedists of eighteenth-century France, most famously Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert, produced the landmark Encyclopédie, an ambitious attempt to organize all branches of learning and a driving force of the Enlightenment. By extension, encyclopedist is applied figuratively to anyone whose knowledge is exceptionally broad and comprehensive — someone who seems to have mastered not one field but many. The term is formal in register and appears chiefly in scholarly, historical, and literary writing rather than everyday conversation. It is a useful word precisely because it names both a rare profession and a rare intellectual temperament: breadth of learning combined with the discipline to organize it.
A person who compiles, edits, or writes for an encyclopedia; a compiler of general knowledge.
"Diderot was the foremost encyclopedist of his age."
A person possessing exceptionally broad, comprehensive knowledge across many fields.
"A true encyclopedist, she could hold forth on everything from Byzantine history to quantum mechanics."
Regular plural; often capitalized when referring collectively to the contributors to Diderot's Encyclopédie.
"The Encyclopedists reshaped European intellectual life in the eighteenth century."
The great French Encyclopedists of the 18th century — led by Diderot and d'Alembert — tried to compress all human knowledge into one work, and it got them banned more than once.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of encyclopedist
Encyclopedist derives from 'encyclopedia', which entered English in the sixteenth century from New Latin 'encyclopaedia'. The Latin term itself comes from Greek roots: 'enkyklios' meaning 'circular' or 'general' (literally 'in a circle') and 'paideia' meaning 'education' or 'instruction' — together suggesting a well-rounded or complete course of study. The agent suffix '-ist' was added later to denote a person who practices this kind of compilation or learning. Cognates include 'encyclopedic' and 'encyclopedism', all sharing the same Greek-derived base.
Related word forms
How encyclopedist is actually used
Somewhat formal or literary register. When capitalized (the Encyclopedists), it refers specifically to the contributors to Diderot's 18th-century French Encyclopédie. The figurative sense of 'someone with encyclopedic knowledge' is common but slightly looser than the literal sense.
Easily confused with encyclopedist
An encyclopedia is the reference work itself, while an encyclopedist is the person who compiles or writes one.