physicist
n. countable B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈfɪzɪsɪst// UK //fˈɪzɪsˌɪst// physi·cist
n. a scientist who studies how the universe works. They look at things like energy, light, sound, and how objects move.
n. a scientist specialising in the study of matter, energy, and the fundamental forces of nature.
The physicist explained how gravity keeps the planets in orbit.
After years of research, the physicist published a paper on the behavior of subatomic particles.
The theoretical physicist spent decades developing mathematical models to reconcile the laws of general relativity with the observed phenomena of quantum mechanics.
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.