Geologist

How to spell geologist

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce geologist

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does geologist mean?

1. nounA scientist who studies the physical structure, rocks, and history of the earth.

Geologist in a sentence

• The geologist examined the rock samples for traces of oil.

• A geologist from the survey team mapped the fault lines across the valley.

Where does geologist come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word is built from two Greek elements: geo, meaning 'earth', and logos, meaning 'word', 'account', or 'study'. The combining form -logy came to label a branch of learning, so 'geology' literally means 'the study of the earth', and a 'geologist' is the person who carries out that study. The terms were assembled in the modern scientific era rather than handed down whole from antiquity; 'geology' appeared in English in the late 1700s as the systematic study of rocks and the earth's structure took shape, with 'geologist' following close behind. The same geo element still sits visibly in everyday relatives such as 'geography' (earth-writing) and 'geometry' (earth-measuring), while the -logist ending links it to a whole family of specialists like 'biologist' and 'psychologist'. For spelling, the trap is the soft middle: the unstressed 'o' between 'ge' and 'logist' is easy to drop or muddle, and the ending is -gist, not -jist.

How the word is built

• geo- (earth)
• -log- (from logos: study, account)
• -ist (one who practises)