philologist

[ fi-lol-uh-jist ]

noun

1. a person who specializes in philology, the study of literary texts and written records:

   An interdisciplinary collaboration between philologists, chemists, and computer scientists is yielding new insights about these medieval manuscripts, all written in different languages or scripts, and most in poor condition.

2. (especially in older use) a person who specializes in linguistics, especially historical and comparative linguistics:

   The origin of modern historical linguistics is often traced back to Sir William Jones, the English philologist who, in 1782, observed the genetic relationship between Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin.

Word History and Origins

Origin of philologist¹

philolog(y) + -ist

Example Sentences

While numerous young children and aspiring philologists alike have engaged in the hobby of inventing languages, Frommer is in the unique position of having his heard by millions of people around the world.

From Salon

Angel Castaño, a philologist who lives near the artificial lake and serves as the president of a local cultural association, likens the megalith to a gigantic eye gazing into prehistoric Spain.

From New York Times

Her father, she recounted, had entered the United States in 1910 as an undocumented immigrant, studied at Harvard University and became a philologist and linguist.

From Washington Post

One of the central researchers in the early years of Antikythera research was German philologist Albert Rehm, the first person to understand the mechanism as a calculating machine.

From Scientific American

Coined by philologist Walter William Skeat in 1886, ghost words are often the result of misreadings and typographical errors.

From Salon

Related Words

• linguist
• wordsmith