a person who studies linguistics scientifically, especially the structure, development, and relationships of languages.
The linguist analyzed the syntax of the ancient text.
Our professor is a leading linguist in phonetics.
✦ Mid 16th century: from Latin lingua 'language, tongue' + -ist.
a person who is fluent in several languages.
The explorer was a talented linguist speaking six languages.
She is an accomplished linguist in European languages.
relating to language or the scientific study of language.
Linguistic analysis reveals patterns in speech.
She has strong linguistic skills in multiple languages.
✦ From New Latin lingūsticus, from Latin lingua (“language, tongue”) + -istic.
the scientific study of language and its structure, including phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
She is studying linguistics at university.
The professor teaches linguistics to first-year students.
✦ From Latin lingua (“language, tongue”) + -istics (a suffix indicating a science or systematic study).
