Communist

How to spell communist

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce communist

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does communist mean?

1. nounA person who supports communism, the political system in which property and the means of production are owned communally.
2. adjectiveRelating to or characteristic of communism or a state governed by it.

Communist in a sentence

• noun

  His grandfather was a lifelong communist who joined the party in the 1930s.

• adjective

  The museum displays propaganda posters from the former communist regime.

• noun

  The historian interviewed every surviving communist from the old factory committee.

• adjective

  She wrote her thesis on communist economic policy in the postwar years.

Where does communist come from?

Language of origin: French

The word entered English in the 1840s from the French communiste, which was built on commun, meaning 'common' or 'shared', and the suffix -iste denoting a follower of a doctrine. French commun in turn descends from the Latin communis, literally 'shared by all' or 'belonging to many', formed from com- 'together' and an element related to munus 'duty' or 'gift'. The political sense crystallised around the idea of a community holding property in common, and it spread rapidly across Europe after Marx and Engels published The Communist Manifesto in 1848. The same communis root sits inside everyday relatives such as 'common', 'community', and 'communicate', which is a useful reminder that the word keeps the double inner letters of 'common' (two m's) before the suffix. Spelling slips usually come from forgetting that the ending is -ist, not -est.

How the word is built

• commun- (from Latin communis: common, shared)
• -ist (one who adheres to a doctrine)