'archeologist' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'arkhaios' and 'logia', where 'arkhaios' meant 'ancient' and 'logia' meant 'study' (via formation from 'archaeology' + suffix '-ist').

'archeologist' changed from the noun 'archaeology' (formed from Greek 'arkhaiologia' through Latin/French) with the English agentive suffix '-ist' in the 19th century; an alternate older spelling is 'archaeologist' which preserves the 'ae' sequence.

Initially it referred broadly to someone interested in ancient things; over time it has become the established term for a professional or scientist who studies past human societies primarily through material remains.