grammarian
Other forms: grammarians
A grammarian is someone who studies, writes about, teaches, and/or loves grammar. Some English teachers are grammarians — they’re the ones who don’t mind spending an afternoon discussing the Oxford comma.
In case you’re underwhelmed, know that the word grammarian comes from the Old French word gramairien for "wise man, person who knows Latin, or magician." English-speaking grammarians don’t necessarily know Latin these days, but it wouldn’t hurt. Grammarians often write books on the parts of speech, diagramming sentences, or anything else about grammar and syntax. Wise? Yes. Magicians? Rarely.
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a linguist who specializes in the study of grammar and syntax
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synonyms:
syntactician
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examples:
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Aristarchus
an ancient Greek grammarian remembered for his commentary on the Iliad and Odyssey (circa 217-145 BC)
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Aelius Donatus
Roman grammarian whose textbook on Latin grammar was used throughout the Middle Ages (fourth century)
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Panini
Indian grammarian whose grammatical rules for Sanskrit are the first known example of descriptive linguistics (circa 400 BC)
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type of:
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linguist, linguistic scientist
a specialist in linguistics
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Aristarchus
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing grammarian
A sharp-eyed editor explains how small differences in punctuation can have enormous consequences.
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