morphologist

American  

[mawr-fahl-uh-jist] / mɔrˈfɑl ə dʒɪst /

noun

plural

morphologists

1. a specialist in morphology.

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Explanation

A morphologist is a person who studies the shape and structure of either living things or words, depending on their field of study. Morphologists study form and structure. In biology, they explore how the shapes of organisms adapt to environments, such as variations in fish fins. In linguistics, they analyze word structures, understanding how different parts form meanings. For instance, a linguistic morphologist would know that the word "morphologist" comes from the Greek word morphē, which means "form," and the suffix -logist, meaning "one who studies."

Example Sentences

“There’s some tantalizing evidence in this paper,” says William Bemis, an evolutionary morphologist at Cornell University.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 1, 2023

“It’s very confusing why they lost their tail,” said Gabrielle Russo, an evolutionary morphologist at Stony Brook University in New York who was not involved in the study.

From New York Times • Sep. 21, 2021

“It’s an extraordinary behavioral adaptation,” says David Cundall, a functional morphologist at Lehigh University, who was not involved in the research.

From Scientific American • Jan. 11, 2021

At the University of Vienna, for instance, plant morphologist Yannick Staedler has used CT scanners to analyse the secrets of a deceptive group of European orchids.

From Nature • Jan. 22, 2018

The morphologist," on the other hand, "sees in the central nervous system a proximate element in the composition of the body—a primitive organ.

From Form and Function A Contribution to the History of Animal Morphology by E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell