Meaning

noun a member of a religious cult

noun a member of an unorthodox cult who generally lives outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader

originEtymology tree English cult Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek -ῐστής (-ĭstḗs)bor. Latin -istader. Old French -istebor. Middle English -ist English -ist English cultist From cult + -ist.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0