paleobotanist
- noun
- /ˌpeɪliəʊˈbɒtənɪst/
- Specialized
- At the university, a paleobotanist presented his research on prehistoric forests.
Examples
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ALAN: This is our paleobotanist, Dr.--
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Love to have the opinion of a paleobotanist as well.
Fiction book (1993) -
I'd love to have an opinion of a paleobotanist as well.
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" The first group is a paleontologist, a paleobotanist, and a mathematician.
Fiction book (1990) -
The paleobotanist studies ancient plant life by analyzing fossilized specimens.
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During her expedition, the paleobotanist discovered new species of fossil plants.
Surface Forms
Morphology
paleobotanist = paleobotany (semi-transparent) = paleo + botany + ist
Formed by adding the agentive suffix '-ist' to 'paleobotany'; understanding requires recognition of the combining form 'paleo-' meaning 'ancient' as well as 'botany'.
Etymology
Paleobotanist combines paleo- meaning 'ancient', botany meaning 'plants', and the ending -ist meaning 'a person who studies'. So, a paleobotanist is like a 'plant detective' who studies very old plant fossils.