paleontologist

[pey-lee-uhn-tol-uh-jist, pal-ee-]

noun

1. a scientist who specializes in the study of life forms that existed in previous geologic periods, as represented by their fossils.

   The education program manager for the museum has worked as a paleontologist, digging up dinosaur bones in Wyoming.

Word History and Origins

Origin of paleontologist¹

paleontolog(y) ( def. ) + -ist ( def. )

Example Sentences

The group included paleontologists and specialists in tomography from the U.S.A.

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So distinctive is this fossil that paleontologists often use it as an index fossil to determine the age of rock layers.

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An international team of paleontologists has identified a previously unknown dinosaur species named Khankhuuluu, believed to be the closest-known ancestor of the giant Tyrannosaurs.

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Minions: Bello Bay Club, while budding paleontologists and dinosaur lovers won’t want to miss the chance to see a newly hatched baby dinosaur at Jurassic World Adventure Camp.

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Because of that genetic link, paleontologists classify birds as “avian dinosaurs,” however counter-intuitive that might seem.

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