linguistics
Americannoun
-
linguistics
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of linguistics
First recorded in 1850–55; see origin at linguistic, -ics
Explanation
Linguistics is the formal study of language. If you like figuring out how words are formed and how they express meaning, you might enjoy studying the science of linguistics. Academics use the term linguistics to describe the science of language. Linguistics includes a broad range of topics ranging from how people learn languages to how phrases and sentences are formed. Remember that linguistics is a plural noun: although it takes a singular verb, it always has an “s” at the end. If you drop the “s” you get a different word, the adjective linguistic, which means "related to language."
Vocabulary lists containing linguistics
Write Makes Might: Words About Written Language
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Booked
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 23
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her adoptive parent, Dr. Ilene Andrews, is a linguistics expert and Kong researcher, played by Rebecca Hall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Spanish and maths were the other subjects Burnham was studying at St Aelred's, and he told people he was considering taking a linguistics degree at university.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
The research team also included Matthew J. Baker, associate professor of linguistics at Brigham Young University, and Jordan Smith, assistant professor of English at the University of Northern Colorado.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 19, 2026
Brad also enjoys writing essays and quirky features for the Journal and has tackled topics such as GLP-1 medicines, college sports recruiting, Jesus models, Gen Z linguistics and performative printer-bashing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
By a method termed glotto-chronology, based on calculations of how rapidly words tend to change over historical time, comparative linguistics can even yield estimated dates for domestications or crop arrivals.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
