Romanist

plural Romanists

1. derogatoryoftenA Roman Catholic.First known use 16th c.

   The manner of the Romanists however hanging their Churches with red Damask, & making Musick in a regular Orchestra there—is a despicable Effort—and defeats its own purpose completely, by turning the house of God into a Theatre […].

   1786 June 27, Hester Thrale Piozzi, Thraliana

   2 more examples

   This is enough & too much, that when the Romaniſts doe boaſt that their iuriſdiction is ſpirituall, it is eaſy to ſhewe that there is nothing more contrary to the order inſtitute of Chriſte, and that it hath no more likeneſſe to the auncient cuſtome than darkneſſe hath to light.

   1587 [1536], John Calvin, translated by Thomas Norton, The Institution of Christian Religion, London: H. Midleton, translation of Institutio Christianae Religionis (in Latin), page 406

   In quarrels with the Pope if the Clergy ſhould diſown to be ſubject to that temporal Prince who conteſts with him, if they refuſe to contribute for the defence of the Nation, if they foment any ſecret deſigns at the Popes command, then the ſtricteſt Romaniſt would preſently ſee the inſecurity of that Kingdom.

   1674, William Squire, Some more Considerations proving the Unreasonableness of the Romanists in Requiring us to Return to the Communion of the Present Romish-Church, H.M., pages 112-113

2. lawA scholar of Roman law and jurisprudence.First known use 17th c.

   The foundations of present views of Roman civil procedure were laid by the Austrian Romanist Moriz Wlassak [...]

   1951, Hans Julius Wolff, Roman Law: An Historical Introduction, University of Oklahoma Press, →ISBN, page 229

3. humanitiesA scholar of Roman history and culture.First known use 18th c.
4. humanitiesA scholar of Romance languages; a Romanicist.First known use 19th c.

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   The principal magazines devoted to the subject are—Jahrbuch für romanische und englische Literatur (ed. Wolff, Ebert, and Lembcke), later only für romanische Literatur; Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen (ed. Herrig), of a more popular character; Romania (a quarterly, ed. Gaston Paris and Paul Meyer, since 1872), contains ariticles of the most eminent Romanists; Revue des Langues Romanes (Montpellier, from 1870 onwards), chiefly devoted to Provençal; Romanische Studien (ed. Boehmer); Zeitschrift für romanische Philologie (ed. Gröber, since 1877); and Romanische Forschungen (ed. Vollmöller, since 1884).

   1886, Encyclopaedia Britannica, volume 20, PRU-ROS, page 668

5. artA painter of the 16th century Romanist school.
6. Irelandderogatoryhistoricalsomeone perceived to be in favor of Rome Rule in Ireland.First known use 19th–early 20th c.

comparative more Romanist · superlative most Romanist

1. lawPertaining to Roman law and jurisprudence.

   Even in England the Romanist tradition not only remained alive but received strong new impulses in Oxford and Cambridge, where the teaching of the "civil"—i.e., Roman—law was never interrupted.

   1951, Hans Julius Wolff, Roman Law: An Historical Introduction, University of Oklahoma Press, →ISBN, page 207

2. historiographyPertaining to the school of thought which emphasises the continuity of legal and cultural institutions between Rome and later medieval Europe, downplaying the role of external influences or innovation in the decline of the Roman Empire.

   The 'Germanist' view has been countered with the 'Romanist' or 'continuity' view, which holds that the Germanic barbarians created little that was new.

   2005 [1995], “The Barbarian invasions”, in The New Cambridge Medieval History (The New Cambridge Medieval History), volume 1, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 36

   Synonyms: continuity · Antonyms: Germanist