People who hold or express prejudiced beliefs about racial superiority, or who discriminate against others based on race or ethnicity.
From 'racism' (early 20th century) plus the suffix -ist. 'Race' comes from Italian razza, possibly from Arabic ra's meaning 'head' or 'origin.' The concept of scientific racism developed in the 18th-19th centuries, with the term 'racist' emerging around 1930.
The word 'racist' is historically very recent - it didn't exist until the 1930s, coined as scientists began debunking racial pseudoscience. Before then, racial prejudice was often considered normal or natural, showing how language evolves with social consciousness.
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