cineast

noun

cine·​ast ˈsi-nē-ˌast How to pronounce cineast (audio)
-nē-əst
variants or cineaste or cinéaste
: a devotee of movies
also : moviemaker

Did you know?

Cineast is a French borrowing that made its American premiere in the mid-1920s. The French spliced together "ciné" and "-aste" to create "cinéaste," a word for a filmmaker or movie director. "Ciné" in French is just another word for "cinema," and "-aste" is a suffix that appears in words like "gymnaste" and "enthousiaste." "Cinéaste" underwent several changes once it was established in English. Some writers anglicized its spelling, shortening "-aste" to "-ast" (although "cineaste" and "cinéaste" are also still used). Others began to use "cineast" to mean "film buff," and that's the sense that is most common today.

Examples of cineast in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web With Europe gearing up for the start of the official summer holiday season, cineasts, casual film fans, industry insiders and stars alike are once again getting ready to descend on the Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 June 2023 WIRED: Selection and recommendations for the Sundance-savvy cineast. Wired Staff, WIRED, 1 May 2004

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cineast.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French cinéaste, from ciné + -aste (as in enthousiaste enthusiast)

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cineast was in 1926

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near cineast

Cite this Entry

“Cineast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cineast. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Definition revised
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!