philologist

[ fi-lol-uh-jist ]
See synonyms for philologist on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who specializes in philology, the study of literary texts and written records: An interdisciplinary collaboration between philologists, chemists, and computer scientists is yielding new insights about these medieval manuscripts, all written in different languages or scripts, and most in poor condition.

  2. (especially in older use) a person who specializes in linguistics, especially historical and comparative linguistics:The origin of modern historical linguistics is often traced back to Sir William Jones, the English philologist who, in 1782, observed the genetic relationship between Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin.

Origin of philologist

1
  • Rarely phi·lol·o·ger [fi-lol-uh-jer] /fɪˈlɒl ə dʒər/ .

Words Nearby philologist

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use philologist in a sentence

  • John Pickering, an eminent American philologist, died at Boston, aged 60.

  • And why should not a philologist be able to answer questions acutely?

    Lavengro | George Borrow
  • The professor, a distinguished philologist, was worried, and he looked it.

  • A great but careless linguist, Borrow was assuredly no philologist.

    The Romany Rye | George Borrow
  • These are of so remarkable a type as to have puzzled every philologist and paleographer who has attempted their decipherment.

    The Swastika | Thomas Wilson