Geomorphologist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A professional focused on the analysis of landforms, their formation processes, and the forces shaping the Earth's surface
2. An individual who examines the characteristics and evolution of physical landscapes and their contributing geological factors
3. A scientist specializing in studying the shapes of the Earth's surface and how they develop over time

Etymology: "Geomorphologist" is a compound built from "geo-", the combining form meaning "earth" (from Greek "gē"), and "morphologist", a person who studies form or structure. The second element carries the real intellectual history: "morphology" was coined in German by Goethe for the study of the forms and structures of living things, and the term was later applied to the study of landforms. The science it names is therefore a borrowing of a biological vocabulary, with "geo-" added to point it toward the ground beneath our feet. The result is a transparent word: a geomorphologist is literally someone who studies the form of the earth. Its meaning has stayed close to that literal sense, covering the description of landforms, the processes that shape them such as erosion, weathering and tectonic uplift, and the forces at work on the planet's surface.

Synonyms: geologist, earth scientist