rock hound

or rockhound

noun

, Informal.

1. a geologist.
2. an amateur collector of rocks, fossils, or minerals.

Word History and Origins

Origin of rock hound¹

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

Example Sentences

As a full-time rock hound for more than a decade, Major has seen the culture go through something of a crystal craze.

From New York Times

“If you’re looking for crystals, Arkansas is the best in the world,” says Bryan Major, 43, a self-described rock hound from Wilmington, N.C., who spends much of the year traveling the country digging for minerals, gems and crystals.

From New York Times

As a boy, I was a rock hound, and I learned how to identify minerals with the Mohs hardness test, named after the mineralogist who invented it.

From Scientific American

“My dad was a bit of a rock hound. He used to let me catalog his specimens. But only if I learnt them properly. I've forgotten most of them now, of course, but my dad's Lytoceras was enormous. It's stuck in my memory.”

From Literature

“I like to fish; Kathy likes to rock hound,” said Tom, 69, on a recent spring morning in the living room of the ranch house where they still live, surrounded by 250 heads of Black Angus and about 40 cats.

From Washington Post