naturalist
n.a person who studies plants and animals in nature. They often spend a lot of time outdoors watching how living things behave.
n.an expert in or student of natural history, typically focusing on the observation of plants and animals in their environment.
“The naturalist spent years observing the behavior of mountain gorillas.”
“During the expedition, the naturalist carefully documented several previously unknown species of orchids and butterflies.”
“While modern biology often relies on laboratory genetics, the classical naturalist emphasizes the importance of observing organisms within the complex web of their native ecosystems.”
Commonly used to describe historical figures like Charles Darwin or modern wildlife experts.
“My research reveals that, as early as the 18th century, French explorers and naturalists began claiming that alligators and crocodiles showed a marked preference for attacking and consuming people of African descent.”
“Known today as Barbados Pride and Red Bird of Paradise, the tropical shrub was identified by eighteenth-century naturalists as flos pavonis or Poinciana pulcherrima L., a species now classified as Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Sw.”
From natural + -ist. Piecewise doublet of naturalista.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.