An arsonist is a person who commits arson: someone who sets fire to a building or other property on purpose.

An arsonist is a person who commits arson這個字是指犯下arson(縱火罪)的人: someone who sets fire to a building or other property on purpose就是故意放火燒建築物或其他財產的人。

News reports use it as a label for the suspect or the person who has already been caught. It is a hard, official-sounding word, closer to the courtroom than to daily chat; in ordinary talk someone might just say “the person who started the fire”.

News reports use it as a label for the suspect or the person who has already been caught新聞報導會用這個字來稱呼嫌疑人或已經被抓到的人。It is a hard, official-sounding word這是一個聽起來很正式、很硬的字, closer to the courtroom than to daily chat比較接近法庭用語,而不是日常聊天; in ordinary talk someone might just say "the person who started the fire"平常說話的話,大家可能就直接說"the person who started the fire"。

It always points to a crime, not to a firefighter, and not to a person who knocked a candle over by accident. One person can be “an arsonist”; a group of attacks can be “the work of an arsonist”.

It always points to a crime這個字一定是指犯罪, not to a firefighter不是指消防員, and not to a person who knocked a candle over by accident也不是指不小心撞倒蠟燭的人。One person can be "an arsonist"一個人可以是"an arsonist"; a group of attacks can be "the work of an arsonist"一連串的攻擊也可以說是"the work of an arsonist"。

The ending is the same -ist you meet in artist or scientist: a person known for doing that thing — though here the thing is a crime, so the word is never a compliment.

The ending is the same -ist you meet in artist or scientist字尾的-ist跟artist或scientist裡的一樣: a person known for doing that thing指因為做那件事而出名的人 —— though here the thing is a crime只是這裡那件事是犯罪, so the word is never a compliment所以這個字絕對不是稱讚。