Malinowski, BronislawMal‧i‧now‧ski, Bron‧i‧slaw /ˌmæləˈnɒfski $ -ˈnɑːf-, ˈbrɒnɪslæf $ ˈbrɑːn-/(1884–1942) a British anthropologist (=a scientist who studies people and their societies, and the way that their customs develop), born in Poland, who established the first university department of anthropology in Britain and wrote several important books on the subject