malacologist
1
9.9
A person who studies animals like snails, clams, and squid
- noun
- /ˌmæl.əˈkɒl.ə.dʒɪst/
- Specialized
:
malacólogo
- At the conference, the malacologist shared her findings on the impact of climate change on marine mollusks.
Examples
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After years of research, the malacologist discovered several new species of snails in the Amazon rainforest.
-
The famous malacologist published a groundbreaking paper on the biology of octopuses.
-
Or Rumphius the malacologist.
Fiction book (1992)
Synonyms
1
9.9
A person who collects and studies shells from animals like snails and clams
studies whole mollusk animals rather than concentrating only on shells
How Expert
malacologist
1
9.9
- Specialized
1
9.9
conchologist
1
9.9
- Specialized
1
9.9
Surface Forms
malacologist singular
malacologists plural
Morphology
malacologist = malacology (opaque) = malaco + log + ist
The step from 'malacology' to 'malacologist' is a regular agentive '-ist' formation meaning 'a person who studies X'.
Etymology
The word malacologist comes from the Greek malakos, meaning 'soft', and the ending -logist, meaning 'one who studies'. So a malacologist studies soft-bodied animals like mollusks such as snails and clams, which explains the modern meaning.