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Leo Meyer

1830 – 1910

German linguist

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About Leo Meyer

Lived 1830 – 1910 (aged 79). Leo Meyer was a German linguist, university teacher, classical philologist and civil servant.

Leo Karl Heinrich Meyer (3 July 1830 – 6 June 1910) was a German philologist who spent much of his career in the Governorate of Livonia (now Estonia).

Biography He was born at , a village in the present-day district of Hildesheim, near Hanover. He was educated at Göttingen and Berlin, where he was a student of the Brothers Grimm. From 1862 to 1865, he was professor in Göttingen, and in 1865 he became professor of comparative philology at the Imperial University of Dorpat (now Tartu, Estonia). One of his students there was Nikolai Anderson. From 1869 to 1899 he was the president of the Learned Estonian Society. In 1898 he again accepted a chair at Göttingen. He died in Göttingen.

Writings His contributions to philological literature include: Vergleichende Grammatik der griechischen und lateinischen Sprache (Comparative grammar of Greek and Latin; 1861–65) Die gothische Sprache (The Gothic tongue; 1869) Handbuch der griechischen Etymologie (Handbook of Greek etymology; 1901) Other writings include: Glauben und Wissen (Belief and knowledge; 1876) Ueber das Leben nach dem Tode (On life after death; 1882)

References / Further reading

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of Göttingen, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Employers
University of Göttingen, Imperial University of Dorpat

People in Leo Meyer's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Leo Meyer's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Leo Meyer?

German linguist (1830–1910)

When was Leo Meyer born?

Leo Meyer was born on 3 July 1830 in Bledeln.

When did Leo Meyer die?

Leo Meyer died on 6 June 1910 in Göttingen.

What was Leo Meyer's occupation?

Leo Meyer was a linguist, university teacher, classical philologist and civil servant.

What nationality was Leo Meyer?

Leo Meyer was German.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Leo Meyer

· Wikidata: Q78147

· DBpedia: Leo Meyer (philologist)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Leo Meyer. https://biography.guide/leo-meyer-linguist/

MLA: "Leo Meyer." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/leo-meyer-linguist/.

Chicago: "Leo Meyer." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/leo-meyer-linguist/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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