A variant of cataclysmatist; a scholar who attributes major geological features to sudden, violent catastrophic events.
From 'cataclysm' + '-ist', a shorter alternative form to 'cataclysmatist' with the same meaning and historical origin in 19th-century geological debates.
Language lets us make multiple words meaning almost the same thing—'cataclysmist' and 'cataclysmatist' competed in Victorian scientific papers, but shorter terms usually win out in modern usage.
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