Etymologically
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tourist

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 12:43. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtʊəɹɪst/, /ˈtɔːɹɪst/ (UK); /ˈtʊɹɪst/, /ˈtɝ.ɪst/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from tour and -ist.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who travels for pleasure, stopping to see the sights: 1772 in Etymonline, 1780 in the OED and MWU.[2][5][3] At first it often meant a travel writer.[2]

Semantic evolution

Compounds such as tourist agency and tourist attraction are from 1895.[5] A tourist trap was at first a hotel for tourists (1891), and later a place that exploits them.[2] Tourist class, the cheapest accommodation on a ship or aircraft, is from the 1930s.[5] A disparaging note, one who sees sights superficially, developed alongside.[6]

Timeline

  • 1772 – a pleasure traveller.[2]
  • 1891 – tourist trap.[2]
  • 1895 – tourist agency.[5]
  • 1936 – tourist class.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who travels for pleasure, especially on holiday.
  2. (sport) A member of a visiting team on tour.

Adjective

  1. Relating to or for tourists: tourist information.

Word family

  • touristic
  • touristy
  • nontourist
  • touristry
  • tourist trap
  • tourist court
  • tourist card
  • tourist class

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins