Biologist
nounA scientist who studies living organisms and the processes of life.
How to spell biologist
9 letters · 4 syllables
How to pronounce biologist
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does biologist mean?
- nounA scientist who studies living organisms and the processes of life.
Biologist in a sentence
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The marine biologist spent three months studying coral reefs.
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As a wildlife biologist, she tracked the migration of Arctic birds.
Where does biologist come from?
Language of origin: Greek
This word is built from Greek roots: bios, meaning 'life', and logos, meaning 'word', 'reason', or 'study'. The combining element -logia gave English the productive ending -logy, used for fields of study, and adding -ist names the person who practises that field. The umbrella term 'biology' itself was coined in the early 1800s, when several European scholars independently used Latinised forms such as 'biologia' to describe the new science of living things. 'Biologist' followed soon after as the natural agent noun, becoming common through the nineteenth century as the discipline professionalised. The spelling is largely phonetic, with the only real trap being the unstressed -ist ending and remembering the single 'l' that begins the -logist portion.
How the word is built
- bio- (life)
- log (from logos: study/discourse)
- -ist (one who practises)
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