Antedating of "Physicist"

[Fred Shapiro]

The most important scientific word-coinages of the 19th century were
William Whewell's coinages of _scientist_ (1834) and _physicist_ (1840).
It now appears that Whewell did not in fact coin the latter word.  A
search on the Science Direct database yields the following:

1838 tr. M. V. Regnault in _Jrnl. Franklin Inst._ July 31  A great number
of physicists have employed themselves during the last century, in the
examination of the specific heats of elastic fluids.

Fred Shapiro


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Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and     YALE DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS
  Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press,
Yale Law School                             forthcoming
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