archaeologist
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of archaeologist
Explanation
An archaeologist is a scientist who studies human history by digging up human remains and artifacts. Lucy, the oldest human known to man — nearly 3.2 million years old — was dug up in Ethiopia by archaeologist. We know about the history of the human species thanks to archaeologists who spend countless hours sifting through dirt and digging through ruins to find evidence of human life from across time. The word archaeologist can also be spelled archeologist. It comes from the Greek root archaeo-, for "ancient, primitive."
Vocabulary lists containing archaeologist
Play by the Rules: Arch
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Occupations
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The Origins of Civilization, Lessons 1–2
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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.
The presence of foreign teams is "crucial", said Aqeel al-Mansrawi, an Iraqi landscape archaeologist.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
The SBU added that the archaeologist was suspected of "illegally conducting excavations at an archaeological heritage site, destruction, ruin or damage to cultural heritage sites".
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
An international team that includes University of Arkansas archaeologist Taylor Hermes identified the first evidence of Bronze Age plague in a nonhuman host.
From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2026
The actor recently reprised his iconic role as a swashbuckling archaeologist in the 2023 sequel “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026
University of Chicago archaeologist Alan L. Kolata excavated at Tiwanaku during the 1980s and early 1990s.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions 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.
