Choose the most suitable one-word substitution for the following.
A person who studies the origin of words.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Etymologist: A specialist who studies the history and origin of words, including how their form and meaning have changed over time. The word comes from the Greek etymon (true sense) and logia (study of).
Philologist: Someone who studies the history of language through written historical sources; it is a broader study of literary texts and record-keeping.
Linguist: A person who studies language and its structure (grammar, syntax, phonetics), but not necessarily focused only on origins.
Grammarian: A person who studies or writes about the rules of grammar.