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

Etymology

Origin of linguist

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

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

As a cognitive scientist and linguist, a lot of my research training is about symbols and about the construction of identity in that way.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 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

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

Hence a linguist would immediately deduce correctly that the English language arose in coastal northwestern Europe and spread around the world from there.

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

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

But it’s clear that the phenomenon is not just the tweedy concern of linguists.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2025

The team, which comprised musicologists, psychologists, linguists, evolutionary biologists and professional musicians, recorded songs in 55 languages, including Arabic, Balinese, Basque, Cherokee, Maori, Ukrainian and Yoruba.

From New York Times ● May 15, 2024

Thought to have been written in 159 a.d., the twenty-one columns of glyphs were the first Olmec text long enough to permit linguists to decipher the language.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann