Algologist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A scientist who specializes in the study of algae, the simple aquatic organisms that include seaweeds and pond scum
2. A researcher devoted to examining algae, the photosynthetic plants and plant-like organisms that live in water
3. Someone who studies the biology, classification and ecology of algae in marine, freshwater and other settings

Etymology: An algologist is a specialist in algology, the study of algae. The word is a straightforward construction: "algology" is itself built from the Greek "algos" (seaweed, or a general word for the kelp and seaweeds of the shore) combined with "-logy" (the study of), and the suffix "-ist" then marks a person who practises that study. The result is a plain, transparent formation of the kind English scientists have built for centuries, so the word carries its meaning in its parts. Its power lies in that transparency. A reader who knows that "biologist" studies life and "geologist" studies the earth can work out "algologist" without a dictionary, because the same pattern runs through the whole family of scientific titles. The word simply names one more branch of natural history, the one devoted to the algae that grow in seas, lakes and ponds.

Synonyms: phycologist