French word

linguiste

Pronunciation

IPA/lɛ̃gɥist/

Meaning

  • noun (m./f.)linguist

Example

Les linguistes étudient les langues.

Linguists study languages.

Illustration for linguiste (linguist)

More examples

J'ai parlé à un linguiste hier.

I spoke to a linguist yesterday.

Core concept

A scholar mapping how languages are structured and used.

Common phrases

  • un linguiste

    a linguist

  • les linguistes

    the linguists

Similar words

polyglotte: A person who can speak several languages.
traducteur: A person who rewrites texts from one language into another as a profession.
interprète: A person who conveys spoken words orally in another language as a profession.

Definition in French

Personne qui étudie les langues et leurs structures.

Word origin

Linguiste derives from the Latin root lingua, 'tongue' or 'language', combined with the suffix -iste, which identifies a person devoted to a field.

Usage tips

  • Linguiste denotes a language scholar, whereas polyglotte denotes a person who speaks several languages, though one person can be both.

Opposites

  • profanelaypersonnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word