Dictionary

physicist en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈfɪzɪsɪst/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (General-American) audio

Etymology

From physics + -ist. Coined by the English polymath William Whewell (1794–1866) in his book The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences (1840): see the quotation.

Meanings

1. A person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics, especially at a professional level.
   • Physicists find themselves called in to deal with such varied problems as the reduction of noise in diesel railcars, investigation of the Hertzian stresses set up by wheel-rail contact and improvement of the insulation of fish and banana vans. 1961 February, R. K. Evans, “The role of research on British Railways”, in Trains Illustrated, page 95:
   • Thus we may say, that while the Naturalist employs principally the ideas of resemblance and life, the Physicist proceeds upon the ideas of force, matter, and the properties of matter. 1840, William Whewell, “Aphorisms Concerning the Language of Science. Aphorism VI. When Common Words are Appropriated as Technical Terms, this Must be Done so that They are Not Ambiguous in Their Application.”, in The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences, Founded upon Their History. […], volume I, London: John W[illiam] Parker, […]; Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: J. and J. J. Deighton, →OCLC, page lxxi:
2. (archaic) A believer in the theory that the fundamental phenomena of life are to be explained upon purely chemical and physical principles (opposed to vitalist).

Forms

Deriveds

radiophysicist · astrophysicist · petrophysicist · tectonophysicist · paraphysicist · protophysicist · sociophysicist · econophysicist · photophysicist · nonphysicist · theoretical physicist · nuclear physicist · microphysicist · geophysicist · agrophysicist · neurophysicist · condensed matter physicist · psychophysicist · iatrophysicist · biophysicist · mathematical physicist · health physicist

Translations (87)

tg физикдон (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · bg физи́к (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · lt fizikas (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ko 물리학자 (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · be фі́зык (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · bg физи́чка (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · hi भौतिक विज्ञानी (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · lo ນັກຟີຊິກ (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · sq fizikan (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · hi भौतिक शास्त्री (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · it fisico (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · fr physicien m physicienne (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · pt físico (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · es física (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · he פִיזִיקַאי (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ky физик (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · be фі́зік (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ro fiziciană (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · tk fizik (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · uk фі́зик (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · da fysiker (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · kk физик (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · it fisica (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · th นักฟิสิกส์ (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · es físico (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · lt fizikė (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · oc fisician (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · vi nhà vật lí (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · fi fyysikko (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · tl liknayanon (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · nl natuurkundige (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ast físicu (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ca físic (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · nb fysiker (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · yi פֿיזיקערין (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ka ფიზიკოსი (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ast física (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · sah фи́зик (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · mr भौतिकशास्त्रज्ञ (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · sh fìzičār (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · hu fizikus (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · yi פֿיזיקער (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ca física (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · fa فیزیکدان (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · sw mwanafizikia (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · sl fizik (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · lv fiziķe (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · nn fysikar (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · hy ֆիզիկոս (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ro fizician (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · mn физикч (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · mk физичар (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ja 物理学者 (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · cmn 物理學家 /物理学家 (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · hi भौतिकविद् (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · de Physikerin (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · pl fizyk (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · eu fisikari (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · kmr fizîknas (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · eo fizikisto (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · gl física (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · af fisikus (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · tg физик (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ru фи́зик (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ar فِيزِيَائِيّ (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · lv fiziķis (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · uz fizik (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · pt física (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · sh фѝзича̄р (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · de Physiker (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · az fizik (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · pih fisisist (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · nl fysicus (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ms ahli fizik (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · fo alisfrøðingur (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · el φυσικός (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · sv fysiker (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ga fisicí (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · tr fizikçi (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ga fisiceoir (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · et füüsik (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · sk fyzik (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · fa فیزیکدان (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · is eðlisfræðingur (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · cs fyzik (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · ar فِيزِيَائِيَّة (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics) · gl físico (person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics)