linguist

noun

lin·​guist ˈliŋ-gwist 

1

: a person accomplished in languages

especially : one who speaks several languages

2

: a person who specializes in linguistics

Examples of linguist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It was created by more than 100 linguists and language educators. — Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 28 June 2026

Sci-fi novelists envisioned universal translators, and linguists devised international languages, all in pursuit of a world where one person could speak and another could understand, regardless of where either was born. — Krupa Shandilya, The Conversation, 25 June 2026

Its successor script, Linea B, was also a mystery until it was deciphered in 1952 by an amateur linguist and cryptographer Michael Ventris with the help of classicist John Chadwick, both building on patterns in the script first identified by classicist Alice Kober. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 23 June 2026

But more variations of Austronesian languages have been identified in Taiwan, accompanied with more intricate grammatical structures and expansive vocabularies, which has provided insights for linguists. — Wayne Chang, CNN Money, 17 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from New Latin linguista, from Latin lingua "tongue, speech, language" + -ista -ist entry 1 — more at tongue entry 1

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

linguist

noun

lin·​guist ˈliŋ-gwəst 

1

: a person skilled in languages

2

: a person who specializes in linguistics