detectorist en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree English detector Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō 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 detectorist From detector + -ist.
Meanings
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A person whose hobby is the use of a metal detector to search for buried coins, etc.
Detectorists may also carry headphones, a metal detecting shovel, hand tools such as a hori-hori (a serrated, steel hand shovel), a “finds pouch,” and a hand-held precision detector called a pinpointer.
2021 May 31, Alexandra Marvar, “The New Detectorists”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:When Kevin Minto, a lorry driver, former soldier and keen metal detectorist, came upon something glinting in a Somerset field, he thought at first it was a coin – potentially quite interesting, probably not amazing.
2026 June 2, Steven Morris, “Somerset detectorist strikes gold with ‘spectacular’ Roman ring find”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| detectorists | Number=Plur | lexicographic |