What does numismatist mean?
Word: Numismatist
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Numismatist means a person who collects or studies coins, medals and sometimes paper money.
Synonyms: coin collector
Word origin: Came into English from French in the 1700s, from a Latin word for a coin.
How do you spell numismatist?
Syllables: nu - mis - ma - tist
Tricky part: The ending is -ist, as in artist and dentist. Students who hear a weak last syllable write -ast or -est.
Watch out for: numismatest, numismatast, numismatis
Memory tip: Like a dentist or a scientist, a numismatist is a person with a skill, and such person words end in -ist.
Numismatist in a sentence
Example 1: The numismatist showed us a copper coin from the reign of Akbar.
Example 2: My uncle became a numismatist after his grandfather gave him a tin of old paise coins.
Example 3: A numismatist can often tell where a coin was made just from its markings.
Fun Fact
Coin collecting is often nicknamed the hobby of kings, because in earlier centuries rulers and nobles built large collections of ancient coins.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
numis______
a) metist
b) matist
c) mattist
d) mettist
Show answer
b) matist. After numis comes ma and a single t, then the -ist of a person word.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) archaeologist
b) cartographer
c) ornithologist
d) neumismatist
Show answer
d) neumismatist. The word begins nu, with no e after the n.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Numismatist goes back through Latin to a word from ___ that means ___.
a) Persian / treasure
b) Greek / coin
c) Greek / stamp
d) Arabic / coin
Show answer
b) Greek / coin. Greek nomisma was a coin in everyday use, which is what a numismatist studies.
Word Tally
Score 2 marks for each correctly spelt word. What is the total score?
numismatist, philatelist, colector, hobbyist, archivist
a) 6
b) 8
c) 4
d) 10
Show answer
b) 8. Four words are right, 8 marks; collector needs ll.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these would most interest a numismatist?
a) an old map of Delhi
b) a signed cricket bat
c) a rare silver rupee from 1862
d) a first-day stamp cover
Show answer
c) a rare silver rupee from 1862
2. A numismatist looks at an old coin through a magnifying glass. What is she most likely checking?
a) whether it can float
b) the date and markings stamped on it
c) how many calories it has
d) what colour ink was used on it
Show answer
b) the date and markings stamped on it
