Climatologists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Experts who study climate patterns and changes over time
2. Scientists that analyze atmospheric conditions and their impact on the Earth's ecosystems
3. Researchers focused on understanding climate variability and forecasting future climate scenarios

Etymology: "Climatologists" is the plural of "climatologist," which is formed from "climatology" plus the suffix "-ist," meaning a person who practises or specialises in something. The suffix has a long lineage: it passed from ancient Greek "-istēs" through Latin "-ista" and Old French "-iste" into Middle English as "-ist," and it was attached to "climatology" in modern English to name the people who do that work. The first half, "climato-," comes from ancient Greek "klima," meaning slope or inclination. The Greeks used it for the tilt of the earth's surface relative to the sun, and later astronomers applied it to the angle of the sun's rays on different latitudes. Over time the sense widened from that geometric idea to the average weather of a region over long periods, which is what climatologists now measure.

Synonyms: meteorologists, environmental scientists, atmospheric scientists, weather experts, climate scientists