SINCE 1828
etymologist
noun
et·y·mol·o·gist
| \ ˌe-tə-ˈmä-lə-jist
\
\
Definition of etymologist
: a specialist in etymology
Examples of etymologist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The job entailed his becoming an etymologist, lexicographer and field worker generally among the native speakers in his own country. — Joseph Epstein, WSJ, "We All Speak American," 10 Aug. 2018 Though Porter frequently gets the credit, etymologist Barry Popik has also claimed that the phrase was used to refer to the state high school basketball tournament in Indiana even earlier, at least as early as 1931. — Olivia B. Waxman, Time, "The Surprisingly Poetic Origins of the Phrase 'March Madness'," 12 Mar. 2018 Members in the 129-year-old organization include linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, grammarians, historians, researchers, writers, editors, students, and independent scholars, according to the ADS release. — Lisa Marie Segarra, Time, "A Trump 'Rhetorical Bludgeon' Was Named 2017 American Dialect Society Word of the Year," 6 Jan. 2018 The phrase casting couch became linked to the Shuberts, at least in retrospect, as the etymologist Peter Tamony discovered. — Ben Zimmer, The Atlantic, "'Casting Couch': The Origins of a Pernicious Hollywood Cliché," 16 Oct. 2017 Etymologists differ on the origin of the lyrics, but Yankee typically referred to New Englanders, doodle was a term of derision and dandy was someone who affected sophistication (fashionable macaroni wigs also became a metaphor for foppishness). — Sam Roberts, New York Times, "A Patriotic Tune, Perched on a Branch of a Family Tree," 3 July 2017 Some etymologists think the phrase refers to dead animals washed into the streets after a downpour. — Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, "20 Things You Didn't Know About ... Rain," 10 Mar. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'etymologist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on etymologist
What made you want to look up etymologist? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
What's that Smell?! Quiz
-
- Someone who is hircine smells like a:
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Share etymologist
Resources for etymologist