philologist
Definitions
A person who studies the history, structure, and development of languages.
A scholar who specializes in the study of literary texts and written records to establish their authenticity and meaning.
Examples
The philologist spent decades studying the evolution of ancient Sanskrit manuscripts.
As a dedicated philologist, she was able to trace the etymological roots of the obscure dialect back to the Middle Ages.
The university hired a renowned philologist to translate and interpret the newly discovered fragments of the epic poem.
Synonyms
linguist etymologist lexicographer grammarian scholar linguistician glottologist