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

That view was challenged in a recent paper by Gašper Beguš, a linguist at the University of California, Berkeley; Maksymilian Dąbkowski, who recently received his doctorate in linguistics at Berkeley; and Ryan Rhodes of Rutgers University. —Steve Nadis, Quanta Magazine, 31 Oct. 2025

If so, this would be a find about ten times older than Proto-Indo-European, and well past the limits of what linguists think language can preserve. —Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025

My father worked as a military linguist with a specialty in Mandarin Chinese and Russian. —Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025

But that's nothing new, say linguists and others who study verbal communication. —Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025

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