linguist

noun

lin·​guist ˈliŋ-gwist How to pronounce linguist (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 Indeed, those details sometimes contradicted what linguists would predict based on previous research. Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for linguist

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of linguist was in 1591

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Cite this Entry

“Linguist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/linguist. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

linguist

noun
lin·​guist ˈliŋ-gwəst How to pronounce linguist (audio)
1
: a person skilled in languages
2
: a person who specializes in linguistics

More from Merriam-Webster on linguist

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