Skip to main content
nematologist

nematologist

1 9.6
A scientist who studies tiny roundworms
  • noun
  • /ˌnɛm.əˈtɑː.lə.dʒɪst/
  • Specialized
: nematólogo
  • The nematologist conducted extensive research on the impact of nematodes on crop health.

Examples

  • Thirty-five years ago, the bacteria that team with nematodes to kill insects were first discovered by ARS nematologist Sam Dutky, now retired.

    Academic text (1994)
  • "We had a team of Brazilian nematologists, plant pathologists, and an agricultural trade expert spend a week here looking at U.S. wheat for the nematode.

    Academic text (2006)
  • During the conference, the nematologist presented findings on new species of roundworms found in soil.

  • As a leading nematologist, she has dedicated her career to studying how nematodes affect plant growth.

Surface Forms

nematologist singular
nematologists plural

Morphology

nematologist = nematology (semi-transparent) = nemat + ology + ist

The specialist meaning is predictable from 'nematology' plus the agentive suffix '-ist', but the base term is a specialized scientific word.

Etymology

Nematologist comes from Greek roots: nema meaning 'thread' and -logist meaning 'one who studies', as in biologist. So a nematologist is a scientist who studies tiny thread-like worms called nematodes, which is why the word means a researcher of microscopic roundworms.