What does philologist mean?
Word: Philologist
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Philologist means a person who studies the history and development of languages, often by comparing old texts.
Word origin: From Greek philologia, 'love of learning and literature'.
How do you spell philologist?
Syllables: phi - lol - o - gist
Tricky part: Students double the l after phi (phillologist), as if the word began with fill.
Watch out for: phillologist, philogist
Memory tip: One l at the start, as in the name Philip: phi-l, never phi-ll.
Philologist in a sentence
Example 1: The philologist traced the German word 'Zahn' and the English 'tooth' back to one ancient root.
Example 2: A philologist can often tell which century a manuscript was written in from its spelling.
Example 3: My aunt, a philologist, compares old Greek and Latin texts at the university.
Fun Fact
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, famous for their fairy tales, were philologists. Jacob described how certain consonants changed between ancient languages and the Germanic languages, such as German and English, a pattern now called Grimm's law.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
Someone who studies how a language has grown and changed over hundreds of years is a ___.
a) physiologist
b) philologist
c) philosopher
d) philatelist
Show answer
b) philologist. A philologist studies words and languages; a physiologist studies how the body works.
Spell Probe
Find the misspelt word in the sentence and choose its meaning:
The philologest explained that the English word kindergarten was borrowed from German, and she showed the class a map of where the ancestors of both languages were once spoken.
a) a drawing of an area showing places, roads and borders
b) a school or class for very young children
c) people in your family who lived long before you
d) a scholar of old texts and the history of words
Show answer
d) a scholar of old texts and the history of words. Philologest should end in ist; a philologist studies languages.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) geologist
b) cardiologist
c) philolojist
d) zoologist
Show answer
c) philolojist. The j sound near the end is spelt g.
Spellacadabra
Which word is completed by the same letter in both blanks?
a) temp_r_ry
b) neg_t_ation
c) conc_ss_on
d) phil_l_gist
Show answer
d) phil_l_gist. Philologist is the one with o in both gaps; negotiation, concession and temporary need two different vowels.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which question would a philologist try to answer?
a) Why do volcanoes erupt?
b) How fast can a cheetah run?
c) Where did the word pyjamas come from?
d) How many moons does Jupiter have?
Show answer
c) Where did the word pyjamas come from?
2. Which pair would a philologist be most interested in comparing?
a) the speeds of two trains
b) the rainfall in London and Paris
c) Latin 'pater' and English 'father'
d) the heights of two mountains
Show answer
c) Latin 'pater' and English 'father'
