Spectroscopist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A scientist who uses spectroscopy to analyze the composition and properties of matter by examining how it interacts with light and other radiation
2. A researcher who investigates the structure and behavior of substances by measuring and interpreting their spectral characteristics and emissions
3. An expert who employs spectroscopic techniques to determine the chemical composition, structure, and physical properties of materials and compounds

Etymology: A spectroscopist is simply someone who practises spectroscopy, and the word is a plain modern formation: "spectroscopy" plus the suffix "-ist," which English took from Latin "-ista" through Old French and which marks a person who follows a field or practice. The "spectro-" element comes from English "spectrum," itself borrowed from Latin "spectrum," meaning "appearance" or "image," from "specere," "to look." The other half, "-scopy," has a different route. It comes from Greek "skopein," "to look at, examine," the same root that gives "microscope" and "telescope." Put together, "spectroscopy" means the study of a spectrum, the rainbow-like band of light that a substance gives off or absorbs, and a spectroscopist is the person who studies those bands.