inkhornist

Etymology

From inkhorn + -ist.

inkhornist means one who uses or favours inkhorn terms. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

Why this word is great

INKHORNIST — [Noun] One who champions inkhorn terms—ostentatiously erudite, often Latinate or Hellenic words prized more for learned obscurity than communicative utility. From Middle English 'ynkhorn' or 'inkehorn' (a small portable vessel for holding ink, later a symbol of pedantic learning) + the agent noun suffix '-ist' (denoting a person who practices or is concerned with something). Unlike a pedant, who fixates on minute rules, or a purist, who militates against foreign influence, the inkhornist is an acquisitive importer, gleefully sowing ornate borrowings to cultivate an aura of scholarship. He is the dusty scholar reaching for "obnubilate" when "darken" would do, the pamphleteer preferring "circumambulate" to "walk around," the bureaucrat mandating "utilization" over "use"—a performer on a lexical stage, forever mistaking ornament for substance and opacity for intellect.

noun

One who uses or favours inkhorn terms.