linguist

[ling-gwist]

noun

1. a specialist in linguistics.

2. a person who is skilled in several languages; polyglot.

linguist

/ ˈlɪŋɡwɪst /

noun

1. a person who has the capacity to learn and speak foreign languages

2. a person who studies linguistics

3. the spokesman for a chief

Word History and Origins

Origin of linguist¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin lingu(a) “tongue, speech” + -ist

Word History and Origins

Origin of linguist¹

C16: from Latin lingua tongue

Example Sentences

His Kenyan counterpart, computational linguist Lilian Wanzare, says recording the speech on the continent meant creating data aimed at reflecting how people really live and speak.

From BBC

“Cleavage is a wonderful word. It’s what linguists call a contronym because its definition contains its own opposite. It means division, but it also means coming together. It also means the space between things.”

From Los Angeles Times

But it’s clear that the phenomenon is not just the tweedy concern of linguists.

From Los Angeles Times

For over a century, experts - linguists, scientists and archaeologists - have tried to crack the Indus script.

From BBC

“I think how it’s represented in the film reflects how it’s actually used today,” said Grant Muāgututi’a, a Samoan linguist and dialect coach who worked on the movie.

From Los Angeles Times