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-logist

Also ‑loger.

A person skilled in, or involved in, a branch of study.

Formed from nouns in ‑logy by replacing the last letter with ‑ist.

Many examples exist, of which a few are archaeologist, biologist, entomologist, futurologist, geologist, meteorologist, ornithologist, pathologist, psychologist, technologist, and zoologist. The form is actively used to make new words as required.

At one time, the form ‑loger with the same sense was common (see ‑er1), but most examples have been replaced by others in ‑logist. A rare surviving example is astrologer.

Copyright © Michael Quinion 2008–. All rights reserved. Your comments are very welcome.