linguist

American  

[ling-gwist] / ˈlɪŋ gwɪst /

noun

• linguists
  plural

1. a specialist in linguistics.

2. a person who is skilled in several languages; polyglot.

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linguist British  

/ ˈlɪŋɡwɪst /

noun

1. a person who has the capacity to learn and speak foreign languages

2. a person who studies linguistics

3. the spokesman for a chief

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• linguists
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of linguist

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin lingu(a) “tongue, speech” + -ist

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Explanation

A linguist is someone who studies language. Linguists study every aspect of language, including vocabulary, grammar, the sound of language, and how words evolve over time. The study of language is called linguistics, and people who study linguistics are linguists. Being a linguist isn't easy; you usually have to go to graduate school and conduct research about a specific aspect of language. There are computational linguists, forensic linguists, comparative linguists, and many other specialties. If you love language, you'd probably enjoy a career as a linguist.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

linguist linguists

A forensic linguist told the BBC it's possible to glean crucial information about a person from just a few sentences.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

The foreign ministry said the family of linguist and researcher Dennis Coyle had written to the supreme leader of Afghanistan, asking that he be released and pardoned for Eid.

From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026

Michael Hahn, a linguist based in Saarbrücken, set out to answer that question with Richard Futrell from the University of California, Irvine.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 20, 2026

In 2020, photographer Caitlin O’Hara snapped linguist Rachid Baligh of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Marrakesh, Morocco, with his family, his 2015 Ural cT motorcycle, and his miniature schnauzer, Lola, in the Arizona desert.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025

The linguist Mark Liberman calls them misnegations, and points out that “they’re easy to fail to miss”: After a couple of days in Surry County, I found myself no less closer to unraveling the riddle.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

For thousands of years, philosophers, linguists, and cognitive scientists have debated whether language is essential for thought.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

By examining bodies of written work, linguists can track the rise of such language quirks, says Kimberly Becker, a linguist and co-host of the “Women Talkin’ ‘Bout AI” podcast.

From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026

The show has not officially aired in Japan and South Korea, but dedicated linguists have translated star duo Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie's countless interviews into Korean.

From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2026

“Cleavage is a wonderful word. It’s what linguists call a contronym because its definition contains its own opposite. It means division, but it also means coming together. It also means the space between things.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2025

Today, professional linguists design writing systems for unwritten languages by the method of blueprint copying.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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