linguist

noun

lin·​guist ˈliŋ-gwist 

1

: a person accomplished in languages

especially : one who speaks several languages

2

: a person who specializes in linguistics

Examples of linguist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some linguists and other scientists have been quick to point out that chimpanzee communication is far less flexible and complicated than human language. —Jon Hamilton, NPR, 12 May 2025

The guests featured on the latest episode of Real Time were California Gov. Gavin Newsom, American linguist John McWhorter and political commentator Rikki Schlott. —Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 28 Mar. 2025

But the human brain routinely does this work nearly instantaneously based on the language’s grammatical rules, says linguist Andrea E. Martin of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Netherlands. —Gayoung Lee, Scientific American, 14 Apr. 2025

Why was Kenny Leon the ultimate director for Othello? Moreland: Kenny is a true linguist. —Jeryl Brunner, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from New Latin linguista, from Latin lingua "tongue, speech, language" + -ista -ist entry 1 — more at tongue entry 1

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

linguist

noun

lin·​guist ˈliŋ-gwəst 

1

: a person skilled in languages

2

: a person who specializes in linguistics