Paul Jules Antoine Meillet (; November 11, 1866,
Moulins, Allier – September 21, 1936,
Châteaumeillant) was one of the most important French linguists of the early 20th century. Meillet began his studies at the
Sorbonne, where he was influenced by
Michel Bréal,
Ferdinand de Saussure, and the members of the
Année Sociologique. In 1890 he was part of a research trip to the
Caucasus, where he studied
Armenian. After his return, since de Saussure had gone back to
Geneva, he continued the series of lectures on
comparative grammar that the Swiss linguist had formerly given.