The suffix -ology comes from the Greek word logos, meaning knowledge or to study. The words below ending in -ology denote some studies or knowledge.
Below is a list of some important words ending in -ology.
Actinology –
The study of the effect of light on chemicals.
➤ Root: Comes from the Greek word aktis meaning ‘ray or beam of light’.
➤ Related Words:
- Actinium (n.) – Formed by Greek aktis or actino, “pertaining to rays” combining with the chemical suffix -ium. Actinium is a radioactive element discovered in 1899.
Aerology –
The study of the atmosphere.
➤ Root: Formed by the Greek word aeros meaning “air”.
➤ Related Words:
- Aerobacter (n.) – type of bateria widely spread in the air.
- Aeroplane – aero (air) plus Greek planos (wandering). Aeroplane means a vehicle that wanders in the air.
Agrology –
The study of production of crops. It is a branch of soil science.
➤ Root: From Greek agros meaning “field” or “a tilled land” or “an open place”.
➤ Related Words:
- Agronomy – The science of land management and crop production. formed by agros plus nomos, “to arrange”.
- Agromania – An intense desire to be alone in the open. Formed by Agros, “an open place” plus mania, “an irresistible desire to do something”.
Agrostology –
The study of grasses
➤ Root: From Greek agrostis, “grass”.
➤ Related Words:
- Agrostography – The description of grasses. Formed by agrostis plus Greek graphein, meaning “to write, to describe, to draw”.
Algology –
➤ Meaning: The study of algae. (Also Phycology)
➤ Root: From Latin alga meaning “algae”.
➤ Related Words:
- Algaecide – A substance that kills algae. Formed by Latin alga plus Latin cīda, “killer” from Latin caedo, “kill”.
Andrology –
The study of male health.
➤ Root: Greek Andros, “male”.
Andros comes from anēr from andr “man”.
➤ Related Words:
- Andromania – Extreme sexual desire in female towards male. Formed by mania meaning extreme obsession, with andros meaning man “male”.
- Androgen – Androgen is a sex hormone. The hormone that is produced in male. It is formed by andros plus Greek genes, “give birth”.
Anthropology –
The study of human beings.
➤ Root: From Greek anthropos meaning “man”.
[Anthropos = aner (man) + ōpos (eye/face). It means “one who has the eye/face of a man”.]
➤ Related Words:
- Anthropogeny – Origination or evolution of the human race. Formed by anthropos plus genesis meaning “origin”.
- Philanthropy – The love for human beings. Formed by Greek Philos meaning “dear, love”, plus anthropos meaning “human”.
- Misanthropy – Hatred for human beings. Formed by Greek misein, “to hate” with anthropos.
- Anthropocentric – The fact that man is in the centre of a reaction. Formed by anthropos plus Greek kentron, “centre”.
Apiology –
The study of bees.
➤ Root: From Latin apis meaning “bee”, plus logos.
Apiology is also known as melittology as its root lies in the Greek word melitta meaning “bee”.
➤ Related Words:
- Apiculture – The cultivation of bees. From Greek apis, “bee”, plus Latin cultura “a cultivating, agriculture”.
Archaeology –
The scientific study of past cultures.
➤ Root: From Greek arkhaios, meaning ancient.
➤ Related Words:
- Archaic – Extremely old.
- Archaeopteryx – Archaeopteryx is the oldest known bird living during the late jurassic along with dinosaurs. Formed by archaios plus Greek pteron meaning “wings”.
Audiology –
The study of hearing.
➤ Root: From the Latin word audire meaning “to hear”.
➤ Related Words:
- Audiophile – One who has interest in producing high-fidelity sound. Formed by Latin audire, plus Greek Philein, “to love”.
Bacteriology –
The study of bacteria.
➤ Root: From Greek bakterion, meaning small staff/stick/rod. Because the first kind discovered had a shape of a rod.
➤ Related Words:
- Bacteriophage – The word bacteriophage literally means the eater of bacteria. As its root lies in the Greek word phagein, “to eat”. Bacteriophages are virus that destroy bacteria.
Bioecology –
The study of interaction of life in the environment.
➤ Root: From Greek bios, “life”, plus Greek oikos “house, dwelling place, habitation, environment”.
➤ Related Words:
- Biology – The scientific study of living organisms and their vital processes. From Greek bios, “life”.
- Ecology – The study of how organisms interact with their environment. From Greek oikos “house, dwelling place, habitation, environment”.
Biology –
The study of life or leaving organisms.
➤ Root: From Greek bios meaning “life”.
➤ Related Words:
- Biography – The description of one’s life. Formed by Greek bios, plus graphein, “to write, to draw, to describe”.
Cardiology –
The study of the heart.
➤ Root: From Greek kardia meaning heart.
➤ Related Words:
- Electrocardiography (ECG) – It is a recording of heart’s electrical activity.
Craniology –
The study of the size, shape and other characteristics of skulls.
➤ Root: From Greek Cranion meaning “skull”.
➤ Related Words:
- Craniography – The description of skulls. Formed by Cranion plus graphein, “to write, to draw, to describe”.
- Craniometry – The science of measuring the skull to determine their characteristics relationship with body type, sex, genetic population etc. Formed by Cranion, plus Greek metron “measure”.
And a Craniometer is an instrument to measure the dimension of skulls.
Criminology –
The science of crime.
➤ Root: From Latin crimen meaning offence, charge, indictment, accusation etc.
➤ Related Words:
- Accriminate – to accuse someone of an offence. Formed by ac “to”+ criminate “accuse”
Cryology –
The study of very low temperatures and related phenomena. / The study of snow and ice. / The study of refrigeration.
➤ Root: From Greek kryos meaning “cold”.
➤ Related Words:
- Cryogen – That produces freezing temperature. Formed by kryos plus Greek gene, to give birth. Crygenic is the adjective. Crygenic fuels are used in cryogenic missiles.
- Cryolite – A colourless mineral; sodium aluminium fluoride (Na3AlF6). Formed by kryos plus Greek lithos meaning stone. So, cryolite literally means – a freezing stone.
Actually large deposits of this mineral are found in Greenland, a place where the temperature doesn’t exceed 10°C.
Cynology –
The study of dogs. Pronunciation – /sɪˈnɒlədʒi/ (saino-logy)
➤ Root: From Greek kyon meaning “dog”.
➤ Related Words:
- Canine – Adjective for dog; dog-like. We have 4 pointed conical dog-like teeth called canine.
- Cynodon – Commonly known as Bermuda grass or dog’s tooth grass. From Greek kyon, plus odous, “tooth”
- Cynopterus – A genus of megabats. From Greek kyon, “dog” plus, ptron, “wing”. Literally, cynopterus means “flying-dog”, as the megabat resembles the dog in the shape of its head and mouth. See images.
Cytology –
The study of cells.
➤ Root: From Greek kytos meaning “a hollow receptacle basket, a cell”.
➤ Related Words:
- Cytoplasm – the contents of a cell except for the plasma. Latin plasma “mold”. So \ cytoplasm literally means “something that forms something”.
Dendrochronology –
The study of the age of trees and the records in their rings.
➤ Root: Derived from Greek dendron “tree”, plus kronos “time”.
➤ Related Words:
- Rhododendron – An evergreen shrub cultivated for its profuse handsome flower. Formed by Greek rhodon “rose”, plus dendron “tree”. So, etymologically rhododendron means “rose-tree”.
Dendrology –
The scientific study of trees.
➤ Root: from Greek dendron “tree”.
➤ Related Words:
- Dendrophilous (adj.) – animals living in trees are called dendrophilous animals; arboreal.
Dermatology –
The study of the skin.
➤ Root: Derived from Greek dermatos meaning skin.
➤ Related Words:
- Epidermis (n.) – the outer skin. Greek epi means “on”.
- Ectoderm (n.) – same as epidermis – the outer skin. Greek ektos means “outer”.
- Mesoderm (n.) – the middle layer of the skin. Formed by Greek mesos, middle plus derma, “skin”.
- Endodermis (n.) – the innermost layer of the skin. Formed by Greek endon, meaning “inner or within”.
- Dermatitis (n.) – Inflammation of the skin. Greek -itis means “Inflammation”.
Ecology –
The study of the relationship of living organisms to their environment.
➤ Root: From Greek oikos, meaning house. A house is an environment the we live in.
➤ Related Words:
- Eco-friendly – Not damaging to the environment.
- Economy – The art of managing a household. Formed by Greek oikionomicos, “management of a house or a family”.
Embryology –
The scientific study of embryos (the early stage of growth).
➤ Root: From Greek embryon, meaning the unborn or a young one or that which grows. Embryon is formed by en- (meaning “in”) plus bryein (meaning “to swell” or “to be full”)
➤ Related Words:
- Embryogenesis – The process by which an embryo is formed. The Greek word genesis means birth or formation.
Endocrinology –
The study of endocrine glands. The glands have internal secretion of hormone.
➤ Root: Greek endon “inside” + krinein “to separate”, distinguish (from PIE root krei “to sieve”).
➤ Related Words:
- Exocrine glands – gland that secrets externally through a duct. Greek exo “external or outer”.
- Autocrine (adj.) – Of or relating to a substance that is secreted by a cell and acts on the same cell. Formed by Greek autos “self”.
Entomology –
The scientific study of insects.
➤ Root: from Greek entomon “insect”. Entomon is formed by en “in” along with temnein “to cut”, that means cut in pieces.
Actually insects generally have a cut or notch at the waist.
➤ Related Words:
- Entomolite – Fossilized insects. Formed by entomon with Greek lithos, “stone”.
- Anatomy – The study of the structure and function of the body of an organism. Formed by ana, “up”; plus temnein, “to cut”. So anatomy literally means “the cutting up”. See the picture of human anatomy.
- Epitome – The summery of a written work, an abstract. Also refers to a person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type. Formed by Greek epi, “into” plus temnein.
Epitome literally means a cut piece from a bigger thing.
- Atom – A hypothetical indivisible extremely minute body, that is the building block of the universe. Comes from Latin atomus, “indivisible particle” from Grek atomos “uncut”; from a- meaning “not” and temnein “to cut”.
So, atom literally means the smallest particle that cannot be cut further.
- Diatom – A microscopic unicellular algae. From Greek diatomos to Latin diatoma to English diatom. Formed by Greek dia, meaning through, plus temnein “to cut”. So, diatom means “to cut through”.
If you cut through anything, you’ll get two pieces of it. Therefore diatom literally means cut into two. So named because they typically appear to have cut in two halves. See pictures.
- Dichotomy – Cutting in two; being twofold; a classification into two. From Greek dichotomia, meaning “cut into two”; from dikha meaning “two”, plus temnein.
- Temple – A building for worship. Formed by temnein (to cut); literally means a place that is cut off. Figurative sense of “a place occupied by divine presence.”
- Contemplate – reflect upon, study, ponder, meditate etc. Formed by Latin prefix com- meaning together, plus Latin templum, meaning an area of taking of auguries. So, to contemplate literally means “to mark out a space for observation” (as an augur does).
Epidemiology –
The study of the origin and spread of diseases.
➤ Root: From Greek Epi, “among” or “upon”; plus demos, “people”.
➤ Related Words:
- Epidemic (n.) – a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease; many people are infected at the same time.
- Pandemic (n.) – An epidemic that is geographically widespread; occurring throughout a region or even throughout the world. From pan meaning “all” (As in pangia); plus demos “people”.
- Endemic (adj.) – Formed by en “in”; plus demos “people”. Endemic has several meanings –
I. A disease constantly present in a particular locality.
Use: Endemic malaria. A disease endemic to the tropics.
II. (In Ecology) Native to or confined to a certain region.
Use: The islands have number of endemic species.
Epistemology –
The study of knowledge.
➤ Root: From Greek Episteme, meaning “knowledge, skill or experience”.
The word episteme is formed with Greek Epi, meaning “among, over, near, upon”; plus histasthai, “to stand”.
➤ Related Words:
- Epitaph – An inscription on a tombstone. Formed by Greek epi, “on or over” with taphos, “tomb, burial”.
Ethology –
The study of animal behaviour. Or, Taken by Mill as the “science of character formation.”
➤ Root: Comes from Greek ethos meaning “character”.
➤ Related Words:
- Ethics – The study of morals. Originated from Greek ēthos (meaning moral character) > ēthikos > ēthike > ēthike > Latin ethika > Old French etique (13th c.)> English Ethics (late 14c.).
Eulogy –
A eulogy is a story written in praise of a person especially one who has recently died.
➤ Root: From Greek Eu meaning “well” or “true”.
➤ Related Words:
- Eulogise (v.) – To praise formally and eloquently.
- Eunice (n.) – Latinized form of Greek unikē meaning “victorious”. It comes from Eu meaning “good” with Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.
- Euphemism (n.) – the use of good words substituted for one that is considered offensive or too harsh. Syn. – genteelism, ant. – dysphemism. Formed by Eu “good, well” plus Greek Phēmē “prophetic speech, rumour or talk”.
- Euphoria – A state of intense happiness. Formed byEu “good, well” plus Greek phero meaning “to bear”.
Felinology –
The study of cats.
➤ Root: Formed by Latin felis “cat” and other animals of the group.
➤ Related Words:
- Faline (adj.) – Adjectctive for felis, “Cat-like”, of or pertaining to cat.
- Felicide (n.) – The killing of a cat. Formed by felis, “cat” plus Latin caedere “to kill or strike down”.
- Felinophobia (n.) – Fear of cats. Formed by felis plus phobos “fear, hatred, dislike”. Felinophobes are those people who dislike cats. The adjective is felinophobic.
Greek ailuros means “cat”.
Syn. – Ailurophobia.
Ant. – Ailurophilia (love for cats).
Foetology/Fetology –
The study of the foetus (or often spelt as fetus).
➤ Root: From Latin foetus meaning “the young in the womb or egg”.
The adjective is fetal.
➤ Related Words:
- Foeticide (n.) – The killing of the foetus. Formed by foetus, “unborn baby”, plus Latin caedere, “to kill”.
Remember, foetid is not built on the same root. Foetid comes for the Latin foeten, meaning malodorous or having an evil smell.
Formicology –
The study of ants.
➤ Root: From Latin formica “ant”.
➤ Related Words:
- Formicary (n.) – a mound of earth made by ants as they dig their nest.
- The adjective is formic. Formic acid (HCOOH) is an acid found in ants.
- Formication (n.) – crawling sensation as of an ant on the skin.
- Formicate (adj.) – crawling like an ant.
The Greek word for an ant is myrmex. Hence, Myrmecology also means the study of ants.
Gastrology or Gastroenterology –
The study of the stomach and intestines.
➤ Root: From Greek gaster (genetive gastros) “stomach, belly, paunch, womb”.
➤ Related Words:
- Gastric juices – Juices secreted from walls of the stomach.
- Gastronomy (n.) – The art of eating and preparing good food. Formed by gaster plus nomos (knowledge, rule, law).
A Gastronome loves good food.
- Gastrula (n.) – (Biology) Formed by gaster plus Latin -ula, a diminutive suffix. Literally means “little belly” or “little stomach”. Actually means the double-walled stage of the embryo (fertilised egg).
The adjective is gastrular; noun gastrulation.
- Gastropod (n.) – Formed by Greek gaster, “stomach”, plus Greek podos, “foot”. Literally refers to the feet from stomach (or, “stomach-foot”). Snails, slugs (shell-less snails), conches, limpets, sea hares etc. have muscular foot attached to their stomachs. See details.
- Gastrolith (n.) – It is a stone found in the stomach of various animals. The word is formed by Greek gaster meaning the “stomach” plus Greek lithos meaning “stone”.
Geochronology –
The study of Earth’s age.
➤ Root: The Greek goddess of the Earth was Gaia. From Gaia, came gē “earth”. So, the word came form gē “earth”, Plus Greek khronikos meaning “time”.
➤ Related Words:
- Geocentrism (n.) – The description of the universe with the earth at the centre and the sun, moon, starts and other planets all orbit (move around) Earth.
Formed by gē, “earth”, plus Greek kentron, “centre”.
- Geode (n.) – Geode literally means “earth-like” or “earthy”. It actually denotes a rounded stone with a hollow centre lines with crystals, identical to the shape of the earth. See images. Formed by gē “earth”, plus Greek suffix oidēs meaning “characterised by”.
Geology –
The study of the Earth.
➤ Root: Greek gē,”earth”.
➤ Related Words:
- Geography (n.) – Description of the earth’s surface. Formed by gē, “earth”, plus graphein “to describe”.
- Geographer is one who studies the earth’s surface.
Geomorphology –
The study of present-day landforms.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek gē, plus morphē meaning “, shape, beauty, outward appearance”.
➤ Related Words:
- Morphology (n.) – Study of outer and inner structures of plant and animal bodies. Formed by morphē, “form, structure or shape”, plus logos, to study.
- Morphogeny – Biological developments of the forms of organisms (in Haeckel’s system). Formed by morphē, “form or shape”, plus Greek genes “born, produce”
- Morphogenesis (n.) – The production or shape of an organism. Formed by morphē, “form, shape”, plus genesis, “birth, origin or creation”.
Gerontology –
The study of the people of old age.
Syn. – Geriatrics.
➤ Root: Comes form Greek geron meaning “old man” plus logos, to study.
➤ Related Words:
- Geriatics (n.) – A branch of medical science that deals with the diseases and problem specific to old people. Formed by Greek geron “old man”, plus iatrikos, “healing”, from iatros, “a physician”.
Geriatrician is one who practises Gerontology or Geriatrics.
- Gerontocracy (n.)- Ruled by old people. The word is formed by Greek geron, plus kratia, “rule”. The adjective is gerontocratic.
Gynaecology –
The study of diseases peculiar to women. The adjective is gynaecological. The expert of Gynaecology is Gynaecologist.
➤ Root: Comes from greek Gyne, “women”.
➤ Related Words:
- Gynaecolatry – Worship of women. Formed by Greek gyne, “woman”, plus latreia, “worship”.
- Gynarchy – Government by women. Formed by Greek gyne, plus arkhein, “to rule”.
- Misogyny – A feeling of hatred for women. Formed by Greek misein, “to hate”, or misos, “hatred”, plus Greek gyne, “woman”.
- Polygyny – A condition of having many wives at the same time. From Greek polys meaning “much”https://www.thenewdaylearning.com/”multi”. Plus gyne, “woman”. Opposite to polyandry (a condition of having many husbands at a time).
- Androgyny (n.) – A state of having traits of both masculine and feminine genders. Formed by Greek andros (genetive of anēr) “man”. Plus gyne, “woman”.
The adjective is androgynous. An androgynous person or thing has the qualities of both men and women.
Nicknames like Pat, Sam, Chris are androgynous, because they are used by both men and women.
A synonym of androgyny is Hermaphroditism. The person is called Hermaphrodite. Let’s take a glance at the myth behind the formation of the word. - Gynaecomastia – Condition of a male having breasts like women’s, caused by a hormone imbalance. The word is formed by Greek gyne, “woman”, plus Greek mastos, “women’s breast, mammary gland”.
Haematology –
The study of blood.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek haima, meaning “blood”.
➤ Related Words:
- Haematophobia – Fear of blood. Formed by Greek haima, “blood”, plus phobos, “fear”.
- Haemophilia – Congenital tendency to uncontrolled bleeding. Formed by haima, “blood”, plus Philos, “love, friendship, tendency towards”. The adjective is haemophilic.
- Haemoglobin – A haemoprotein composed of haeme (a complex red organic pigment), and globin (a colourless protein) present in blood.
The word Haemoglobin is formed by Greek haima, plus globule, “a small spherical body; little globe” (denoting the shape of the protein globin).
- Haemorrhage – Bleeding violently from a ruptured blood vessel. Formed by Greek haima, “blood”, plus ragia (from rhegnunai) meaning “to break, burst”.
- Haemorrhoid – Vein, liable to discharge blood. Mainly referring to the venous swelling external or internal to the anal sphincter. (= Pile)
Heliology –
The study of the sun.
➤ Root: Greek helios, “the sun”.
➤ Related Words:
- Heliolatry – Worship of the sun. Formed by Helios, “the sun”, plus latreia, “to worship”.
- Heliocentrism – A model where the sun is at the centre of the universe, and the planets are revolving around it. The word is formed by helios, “the sun”, plus Greek kentron, “centre”.
Geocentrism is a belief or a misbelief that the earth is at the centre of the universe, and the sun revolves around it.
- Heliograph – The description of the earth. Formed by helios, plus graphein, “to describe”.
- Aphelion – The point on the elliptical orbit of a planet (or a comet or other astronomical objects) where it is the farthest from the sun. Formed by Greek prefix apo- meaning, “away” or “off” plus helios.
- Perihelion – The point on the elliptical orbit of a planet (or a comet or other astronomical objects) where it is the nearest to the sun. Formed by Greek prefix peri- meaning, “near” or “close” plus helios.
Hepatology –
The study of the liver.
Adj. – Hepatolic, hepatological,
Practitioner – Hepatologist.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek hepar, meaning “liver”.
➤ Related Words:
- Hepatic (adj.) – related to the liver.
- Hepatic cells are the building blocks of the liver,
- Hepatic cirrhosis is a chronic disease interfering with the normal functioning of the liver.
- Hepatica is a type of plant. The word was derived from the same root, i.e. hepar, because its three-lobed leaves are thought to be identical to the human liver.
Herpetology –
The study of reptiles and amphibians.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek herpeton “creeping things” or “reptiles”. And the verb herpein “to creep”.
➤ Related Words:
- Herpes – Any viral disease. Its root lies in Greek herpes, meaning “creep”, as a viral disease spreads from one body to another as if by creeping.
These diseases may be caused by Herpes simplex virus, Human herpesvirus 1, Human herpesvirus 2 etc.
The adjective is herpetic.
Hippology –
The study of horses.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek hippos, “horse”.
➤ Related Words:
- Hippocampus – A kind of sea monster, part horse and part fish. Formed by Greek hippos, “horse” plus kampos, “sea monster”. (Plural – hippocampi).
Hippocampus is used as a name of a fish (seahorses) since 1570s.
It is also used as the name of a part of our brain that resembles a seahorse. The hippocampus of our brain is responsible for storing long-term memories.
The Hippocampus of the brain (to the left) and a seahorse (to the right), almost resembling each other.
- Hippopotamus – . Formed by Greek hippos, “horse” plus potamos, “river”. Literally, “the horse of the river”.
The civilisation of Mesopotamia was between two rivers Tigris and Euphrates. Mesos means “middle” and potamos means “river”.
- Hippocrene (n.) – A fountain on Mount Helicon sacred to the muses, formed when the winged horse Pegasus struck its hoof into the ground. The waters were held to bestow poetic inspiration. Originates from Greek hippos plus krene, “fountain”.
- Hippodrome (n.) – Horse race course. In mordern use, it is a circus performance place. In US slang, it is a fixed match or race. Formed by Greek hippos plus dromos, “course”.
- Hippomania (n.) – Excessive fondness for horses. Formed by Greek hippos plus Latin mania, “insanity or madness”.
- Hippophile (adj.) – One who loves horses. Formed by Greek hippos plus philein “to love”, or philos “loving”.
- Hippophagy – An act of practice of feeding on horse flesh (eating horses). Formed by Greek hippos plus phagous, “eating”.
Histology –
The study of living tissues. Tissues are formed by cells.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek histos, meaning “web, warp”. Histos has a root in Greek histasthai, “to stand”. Literally it means “anything that is set upright.” This is the best root for the term “tissue”, the structural element of the body.
➤ Related Words:
- Histamine (n.) – Amine (a chemical) found in some cells in the body. Histidine is another such amine.
Hydrology –
The study of water.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek hydor meaning “water”.
➤ Related Words:
- Hydrogen (n.) – Hydrogen is a colourless gaseous element. the word is formed by Greek hydor “water” plus Greek -genes, “to produce”.
To hydrogenate is to cause to combine with hydrogen.
- Hydrogeology (n.) – It is the study of the distribution and movement of the ground water in the soil and the rocks of the earth’s crust. formed by Greek hydor plus Geology meaning “the study of the earth”.
- Hydrography (n.) – The study of the measurement and description of the sea. Formed by Greek hydor plus graphein “to write, to describe”.
- Hydrolysis (n.) – Chemical composition by water. Formed by hydor plus Greek lysis “a loosening a dissolution”.
- Hydrometer (n.) – An instrument for measuring the specific gravity of a liquid or solid. Formed by hydor plus Greek metron “to measure”.
- Hydrophobia (n.) – Fear of water. formed by hydor plus Greek phobos “fear”. The adjective is hydrophobic.
Ichthyology –
The study of fish.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek ikhthus, meaning “fish”.
➤ Related Words:
- Ichthyomorhic (Adj.): Fish-shaped. formed by Greek ikhthus, combining with Greek morphe meaning “form, shape”.
- Ichthyophagous (n.): Fish eating. Formed by Greek ikhthus, combining with Greek phagein, meaning “to eat”.
- Ichthyosaur: A species of the marine reptiles of the Mesozoic period. Formed by Greek ikhthus, combining with Greek sauros, meaning “lizard”.
Sauros is the word forming element for dinosaur, tyrannosaurus etc.
Lepidopterology –
The study of butterflies and moths.
➤ Root: Comes from lepidos “scale”, and pteron, “wing”.
➤ Related Words:
- Lepidoptera – The order of insects with four scaly wings.
Lithology –
The study of rocks.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek lithos meaning “rock”.
➤ Related Words:
- Lithodomous – A shellfish which lives in a hole of a rock. Formed by Greek lithos plus Greek demos meaning “house”.
- Lithograph – Printing from metal or stone surface.
- Litholatry – Worsip of a rock. Formed by greek lithos plus Greek latron, “worship/payment”.
- Idolatry is built on the same root. Greek eidolon meaning, “images”, plus Greek latron, “worship/payment”.
- Lithosphere – The outer part of the earth consisting of the crust and mantle. The word Lithosphere is formed by Greek lithos, plus Greek sphaira, meaning “Globe, ball, world”. So, etymologically lithosphere means the rocks of the globe.
- Lithotomy – Surgical removal of a stone. Formed by Greek lithos plus Greek tome, meaning “cutting”.
- Lothotripsy – The operation of crushing a calculous by using ultrasound. Formed by Greek lithos plus Greek teirein, “to rub, to rub away”.
Other uses of Lithos –
Paleolithic Age is the early period of the Stone Age. The prefix palaeo- comes from Greek Palaios meaning “old, ancient”. It is the time in prehistory from about 2.5 – 3 million years ago until about 12000 years ago.
The people of this age used stone tools called palaeoliths.
In the same way, Mesolithic Age is the Middle Stone Age (Roughly, 15000 to 5000 years ago from the present). From Greek mesos, “middle”.
And in Neolithic (New Stone) age, people lived from around 7000 BCE to around 1000 BCE. From Greek neos, “new, young”, from PIE (Proto Indo-European) root newo, “new”.
They used to use microliths, the small stone tools.
Meteorology –
The study of weather, climate or the earth’s atmosphere.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek meteora, meaning “celestial or heavenly phenomenon” from meta, “by means of” + -aoros, “things high up”.
Atmospheric phenomena were formerly classified as aerial meteors (wind), aqueous meteors (rain, snow, hail), luminous meteors (aurora, rainbows), and igneous meteors (lightning, shooting stars). All the other senses have fallen away.
➤ Related Words:
- Meteor – Any of the small solid extra terrestrial bodies that hits the earth’s atmosphere, built on the same root.
Microbiology –
The study of micro-organism.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek mikros, meaning “small”, plus Greek bios, meaning “life”. So, literally it means the study of “small lives or small things”.
Mycology –
The study of fungi.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek mykes, meaning “mushroom, fungus”.
➤ Related Words:
- Mycosis – Presence of fungus as parasites in the body, causing a disease. Formed by Greek mykes plus -osis, meaning “a state of disease”.
Myology –
The scientific study of muscles.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek mys meaning, “muscle” and also “mouse”. So called because the shape and the movement of a muscle of the human body resembles that of a mouse.
Myrmecology –
The study of ants.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek murmekos, “ants”.
➤ Related Words:
- Myrmecophily – Natural symbiosis with ants. Also refers to sharing the nest of ants.
The adjective is myrmecophilous. There are some myrmecophilous plants that attract ants to protect themselves from herbivores.
- Myrmecophagy – Ant eating. A feeding behaviour, defined by the consumption of termites or ants. The adjective is myrmecophagous. The myrmecophagous animals eat ants.
Nanotechnology, –
The study of machines at the molecular level.
➤ Root: Nano- is a prefix used as a prefix for units of one-billionth. Comes from Greek nanos, “dwarf”.
Neonatology –
The study of new-born babies.
➤ Root: From Greek neo, “new”, plus Latin natus, “born”.
➤ Related Words:
Native – A person born in a particular place or country. Built on the Latin root natus, “born”.
Natality – The ratio of the live birth in an area to the population of that area.
Nephology –
The study of clouds.
➤ Root: Comes from Proto-Indo-European nebhos (cloud) > Proto-Hellenic nephos > Greek nephos meaning “cloud or smog”
➤ Cognates: Sanskrit Navas (“sky”), Proto-Slavic nebo (“heaven”), Latin nebula (“fog, cloud”)
➤ Related Words:
- Nephophile – One who loves clouds. Formed by Greek nephos, plus Greek Philein, “to love”
Nephrology –
The study of the kidneys.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek nephros, meaning “a kidney”.
➤ Related Words:
- Nephrolithiasis (n.) – The disease of formation of kidney stones. The word nephrolithiasis is formed by Greek nephros, plus lithos, meaning “stone” plus Greek suffix -asis, meaning “disease”.
- Nephrectomy – Surgical removal (excision) of a kidney. Formed by Greek nephron plus Greek ektomia, meaning “cutting out of”, from ektemnein, (ek, “out” ant temnein, “to cut”)
- Nephritis – Inflammation of the kidneys. Formed by Greek nephros, plus -itis meaning “inflammation”
- Nephridium – Sexual or renal organ of mollusks. The word is built on the same root nephros, “kidney”.
Neurology –
The study of nerves.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek neura, meaning “nerve”.
➤ Related Words:
- Neuritis – Inflammation of the nerves. Formed by Greek neura, plus Greek itis meaning “inflammation”.
- Neuralgia – Acute pain across one or more nerves. Formed by neura plus Greek algos, meaning “pain”.
- Neuroglia – Connective tissue of the nerve centres. Formed by neura, plus Greek glia, meaning “glue”.
- Neuron – Nerve cell. A cell that is specialized to conduct nerve impulses. Built on the Greek root neura.
- Neurosis – A mental or personality disturbance. Formed by neura, plus Greek -osis, meaning “a disease”.
Oceanology –
The study of oceans.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek okeanos, meaning “ocean”.
➤ Related Words:
- Oceanography – The study of the physical and biological aspects of oceans (same as Oceanology). Formed by okeanos, plus Greek graphein, meaning “to write”.
- Oceania – A geographical area or a continent composed of many islands (Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia) along with Australia.
So named because the islands are connected with each other by the Pacific Ocean. And also,the land is connected with the other parts of the world by ocean.
The word is built on the same root, i.e. okeanos.
Odonatology –
A branch of Entomology that deals with the study of dragonflies and damselflies.
➤ Root: Odonata means dragonflies. The word odonata was coined by Johan Christian Fabricious. Comes from Greek odous, meaning “tooth”. So named because the mouth-parts of the dragonflies are notably toothed.
➤ Related Words:
Odontology (n.) – The study of the teeth.
Odontology –
The study of the teeth.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek odous or odontos, meaning “tooth”.
➤ Related Words:
- Odontogenic (adj.) – of or pertaining to the origin and development of the teeth. Formed by odous plus Greek genes, meaning “origin, offspring or kind”, from Proto-Indo-European root -gen, meaning “to give birth to”.
Oncology –
The study of tumors.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek ogkos, meaning, “bulk, mass, swelling”. A tumor is an excessive growth or swelling of tissue.
➤ Related Words:
- Oncogenesis – Formation of tumors. The word oncogenesis comes from ogkos plus Greek genes, from Proto-Indo-European root -gen, meaning “to give birth to”.
- Oncogene is gene that disposes normal cells to transform into cancerous tumor cells.
Oology –
The study of eggs.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek oon, meaning “egg”.
➤ Related Words:
- Oocyte – a female gametocyte that develops into an ovum after two meiotic divisions. Comes from oon, plus Greek kytos, meaning “a hollow basket, vessel or jar that resembles a cell”.
- Oogenesis – The formation and development of the ovum. The word oogenesis comes from oon, plus Greek genes, from Proto-Indo-European root -gen, meaning “to give birth to”.
- Oolite – A sedimentary rock formed from spherical grains. Oolite comes from oon, plus Greek lithos, “stone”. See images of oolite.
Ophiology –
The study of snakes.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek ophis, “snake”.
➤ Related Words:
- Ophiophile – One who loves snakes. From Greek ophis, “snake”, plus philein, “to love”.
- Ophiophage – One who eats snakes. From Greek ophis, “snake”, plus phagein, “to eat”.
- Ophiolatry – Worshipping snakes. From Greek ophis, plus latreia, “worship”.
The word idolatry means worshipping idols. Formed by Greek eidolon, “image, idol”, plus latreia, “worship”.
- Ophisaurus – A kind of lizard resembling a snake. From Greek ophis, “snake”, plus sauros, “lizard”. They are also known as glass lizard, glass snakes etc. See images of ophisaurus.
- Ophioglossum – It is a kind of plant, the fertile part of which resembles the tongue of a snake. From Greek ophis, “snake”, plus glossa, “tongue”.
- Ophiolite is a stone, the texture of which resembles that of a snakeskin. Formed by Greek ophis, plus lithos, “stone”. See images.
Ophthalmology –
The study of the eyes.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek ophthalmos, “eye”.
The adjective is opthalmic. An ophthalmologist is a specialized doctor who diagnose and treats the diseases of the eye.
➤ Related Words:
- Ophthalmia – Swelling of the eye or conjunctivitis. Formed by ophthalmos, plus -ia. the element -ia is used to name countries, diseases and flowers.
- Ophthalmoscope – An instrument to examine the retina of the eye. Formed by ophthalmos, plus Greek skopein, “to see, observe, examine”.
Ornithology –
The study of birds.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek ornithos, “bird”.
➤ Related Words:
- Ornithomancy – Divinition by means of birds. Formed by ornithos plus Greek manteia, “oracle, divination”.
- Ornithopod – The species of dinosaurs whose hind legs were like those of birds. The word is formed by ornithos, plus Greek podos, “foot”.
- Ornithopter – A machine designed to fly by mechanical flapping of wings. Formed by ornithos, plus Greek pteron, “wing”.
- Pteron is the root of the word helicopter also. Helicopter is built on helikos, “spiral”, + pteron.
The idea was to gain lift from spiral aerolift.
Orology –
The study of mountains and their mapping.
➤ Root: From Greek oros, meaning “mountain”.
➤ Related Words:
- Orography – Study or description of the mountains (having the same meaning as orology.)
- Orographic Rainfall – Orographic Rainfall is a type of Precepitation that occurs when moist air rises over a mountain.
Orthopterology –
The study of grasshoppers and crickets.
➤ Root: From Greek orthos, meaning “straight, upright, true, proper, correct”, plus pteron, “wing”. So named, because they have straight wings.
Orthoptera is an order of insects that comprises grasshoppers, crickets, locusts etc.
➤ Related Words:
- Orthodontics – The branch of dentistry dealing with the prevention or correction of the irregularities of the teeth and the jaw, or making the teeth straight. Formed by orthos, “straight” plus Greek odous, “teeth”.
- Orthognathous – Straight-jawed; jaw not projecting beyond the vertical line of the forehead. Formed by Greek gnathos meaning, “jaw”.
- Orthography – The art of writing words with the proper letters according to the standard usage. Formed by orthos, “straight, correct”, plus graphein, “to write”.
- Orthopaedics – The branch of science concerned with the disorder or deformities of the spine and joints specially in children. Formed by orthos, “straight”, plus Greek paidos, “children”.
An orthopedist is one who deals with the natural deformities in the human body.
- Orthopraxy – Correct practice or procedure for a specific purpose. Formed by orthos, “correct” plus Greek praxis, “to do, to act”.
Osteology –
The study of bones.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek word osteon, “bones”.
➤ Related Words:
- Osteopathy – Disease of the bones. The word is formed by osteon, “bone”, plus Greek pathos, “disease, suffering, feeling”.
- Osteoporosis – Abnormal loss of bony tissue resulting in fragile porous bones. Formed by osteos, “bone”, plus Greek poros, “passes; pore; voyage”
Otology –
The study of the ear.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek ous, “ear”.
➤ Related Words:
- Otocrane – The cavity in the skull in which the parts of the internal ear in located. the word is formed by ous “ear”, plus Greek kranion, “skull”.
- Otocyst – An organ involved in balance and orientation. Formed by Latin cysts, from Greek kustis, “anatomical sac”.
Parasitology –
The study of parasites, their hosts and the relationship between them.
➤ Root: Comes from Latin parasitus, from Greek parasitos. Parasitos is a combination of para, “beside”, plus sitos, meaning “wheat” or “food”.
Pathology –
The study of illness.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek pathos, “disease, suffering, feeling”.
➤ Related Words:
- Pathogen – Producing diseases. Formed by pathos, “disease; suffering”; plus genos, “birth”. pathogenesis means the origination and development of a disease. Pathogenic is the adjective.
- Pathognomonic – Spacially or decisively a characteristic of a disease. Formed by pathos, ” plus gnomonikos, “fit to judge of”.
- Pathophysiology – The changes in function as a result of disease or injury. Formed by pathos, “disese; suffering”, plus Greek physios, “nature”, plus Greek logos, “study”.
Petrology –
The study of rocks and the conditions by which they form.
➤ Root: Comes from Latin petra or Greek petros, meaning “rock”.
➤ Related Words:
- Petroleum – An oily substance obtained from certain rock beds. The word petroleum is formed by Latin petra, “rock”, plus oleum, “oil”.
- Petrochemical (n.) – Chemical products obtained from petroleum or natural gas by refining.
- Petrochemical (adj.) – Of or pertaining to the chemistry of the formation of rocks.
- Petrodollar – Money earned by export sales of petroleum product.
- Petroglyph – A carving or line drawing on rock. Formed by petros, “rock”, plus glyphe, “carving”.
Pharmacology –
The study of drugs.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek pharmakon, “drug; poison”
➤ Related Words:
Pharmacopeia – A book containing a compilation of pharmaceutical products with their formulas and methods of preparation. Formed by pharmakon, “drug”, + poiein, “to make”.
Phonology –
The study of vocal sounds.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek phone, “voice; sound”. The adjective is phonic.
➤ Related Words:
- Phoneme – One of a small set of speech sound. Formed by Greek phone. The adjective is Phonemic.
- Phonetics – Study of speech (also phonics). Formed by Greek phonetikos, “vocal”. The adjective is phonetic.
- Phonogram – Any written symbol for a sound, syllable or a word. Formed by Greek gramma, “A picture, a drawing, a character, an alphabet,”; from the stem graphein, “to write, draw”.
- Phonograph – Characters representing sounds. From phone, “sound”, + Greek graphein, “to write”.
- Phonolite – Literally “sounding stone” A kind of rock that rings when struck. From phone, “sound” + Greek lithos, “stone”
- Phonomania – Irresistible desire to murder (oneself or other). From Greek phonos, “murder” + mania, “madness, frenzy”.
- Phonophobia – Fear of loud sounds. From phone, “sound” + fobia, “fear”.
- Cacophony – A harsh discordant mixture of sounds. Formed by Greek kakos, meaning “bad”.
- Euphony – The quality of being pleasing to the ear. Formed by Greek eu, “well”.
- Polyphony – Simultaneously combining a number of musical parts in harmony. Formed by Greek polloi, “many”.
The name of some musical instruments like saxophone, sousaphone, vibraphone, xylophone; and some devices that produce sound – like gramophone, microphone, earphone, megaphone, telephone are built on the same root.
Phycology –
The study of algae.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek phykos, “seaweed”.
Physiology –
The study of functions of living organisms.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek physios, “nature”.
➤ Related Words:
- Physiognomy – The art of judging people by their facial expression. From physios, “nature”, + Proto-Indo-European gno-, “to know”.
- Physiotherapy – Treatment of disease by physical method. Formed by Greek physios, “body”, + Latin thrapia, meaning “healing, curing”, from Greek therapeuein, “to heal, cure”.
Phytology –
The study of plants; botany.
➤ Root: From Greek phyton, meaning “plant”; literally, “that which is grown”.
➤ Related Words:
- Phytoplankton – Plant constituent of plankton, mainly unicellular algae. Planktons are the organism that lives in a large body of water and is unable to swim against the current.
The word is formed by Greek phyton, “plant”; + Greek plankton, “wandering, drifting”.
There are some kinds of plants whose names are built on the same root –
- Bryophyte – Group of plants comprising mosses and liverworts. From Greek bryos, “moss” + phyton, “plant”.
- Thallophyte – A group of plant-like organisms that lack distinguished leaves, stems, or roots. From Greek thallos, “young shoot or twig”, plus phyton, “plant”.
- Xerophyte – Plants that grow where there is limited supply of water. Greek xeros, “dry” + phyton, “plant”, literally, plants that grow in arid (dry) climate.
- Chrysophyte – chrysophyte is a kind of golden algae. From Greek khrusos, “gold” + phyton, “plant”.
- Gametophyte – A plant (or the haploid phase in its life cycle) that produces gametes by mitosis to produce a zygote.
From Greek gamete, “wife” and gametes, “husband” + phyton, “plant”.
*This gamete or gametes comes from Greek gamos, meaning “marriage”, being the root of monogamy, bigamy, polygamy, misogamy.
- Monogamy – The practice or the state of having only one spouse at a time. Greek monos, “single or one”, + gamos, “marriage”.
- Bigamy – The statement of having two spouses at the same time. From Proto-Indo-European root dwo, “two” > old Latin dvi, (cognate in Sanskrit dwi) > Greek di, dis.
- Polygamy – The state of having more than one spouse at the same time. From Greek polys, “many” + gamos, “marriage”.
Polygamy is of several kinds –
- Polygyny – Having many wives at the same time. From polys, “many” + gune, “woman”.
- Polyandry – Having many husbands at the same time. From Greek andr-, from Proto-Indo-European aner, “man”.
- Polygynandry – Its a combination of polygyny+polyandry, wich refers to a mating pattern of multiple males and multiple females.
Androgyne is one who has the qualities of both male and female. Hermaphrodite is another term for him/her.
- Misogyny – A hatred of women. From Greek misein, “to hate” + gune, “woman”.
- Misandry – A hatred of men. From Greek misein, “to hate” + aner, “man”.
- Hydrophyte – Seaweed; plants that grow under the sea water. From Greek hudor, “water” + phyton,”plant”.
- Zoophyte – A kind of animals resembling a plant such as sea anemone, coral or sponge. From Greek zoion, “animal” + phyton, “plant”. See images of zoophytes.
- Cycadophyte – Palmlike gymnosperms. From Greek kykas, from theophrastus’ koikas, “palm trees”.
- Hygrophyte – A plant that grows in a moist area. From Greek hygros, “wet” + phyton, “plant”.
- Xerophyte – Plants that grow in dry areas. From Greek xeros, “dry”, + phyton, “plant”.
- Gametophyte – A sexual phase in the life cycle of a plant or an algae. From Greek gamete, “wife”, + phyton,”plant”.
- Chamaephyte – Any herbaceous or woody plants whose buds overwinter just above the soil level.
Phytopathology –
The study of plant diseases.
➤ Root: Formed by Greek phyton, “plant” + pathos, “disease”.
Planetology –
The study of planets and solar system.
➤ Root: Formed by Greek planetai, “wondering stars”.
Planktology –
The study of plankton, the organism that lives in a large body of water and swim along the current.
➤ Root: Formed by Greek planktos, “wandering, drifting”.
➤ Related Words:
- Zooplankton – Animals that live in a large body of water and swim along the current. Comes from Greek zoion, “animal”, plus plankton.
- Phytoplankton – Plants that live in a large body of water and swim along the current. Comes from Greek phyton, “plant”, plus plankton.
Pomology –
The scientific study of fruits.
➤ Root: Comes from Pomona the name of a Roman goddess of fruit trees.
Latin pomum, “fruit”; likely from proto Italic po-emo, (“picked off/taken off”).
Pomum also means “apple”.
➤ Related Words:
- Pomiculture – Cultivation of fruits. Formed by Latin pomum, “fruit”, plus cultura, “cultivate”.
- Pomegranate – A type of fruit with many seeds. Comes from Latin pomum, “fruit/apple” + granatum, “having many seeds”. Pomegranate literally means, “An apple with many seeds”. See images of pomegranates.
Primatology –
The study of primates. Primates are the animals of the highest biological order including monkeys and humans.
➤ Root: Comes from Latin primus, “of the first rank, chief”.
➤ Related Words:
- Prime – First in rank or degree. From primus, “first”.
- Primacy – Supremacy. From primus, “first”.
- Primal – Having existed from the beginning. From primus, “first”.
- Prima facie – As it seems at first sight; clear. Formed by Latin primus, “first”, plus facies, “face, appearance, form”. In law the phrase Prima facie describes a fact or presumption that is sufficient to be regarded as true unless otherwise proved or rebutted.
- Prima donna – First lady; or the leading female singer in an opera. Formed by Latin prima, (feminine of primus), “first”, plus domina, “lady”.
- Prima ballerina – The leading ballet dancer.
- Primogenitor – An ancestor in the direct line. Formed by primus, “first”, plus genitor, “father”.
Psychology –
The study of the psyche or the mental processes.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek psykhe, “spirit, soul, mind”.
➤ Related Words:
- Psychokinesis – The psychic power to move objects. Formed by psykhe, plus Greek kinein, “to move”.
- Psychomancy – Communication between souls or with spirits. Formed by Greek psykhe, plus manteia, “oracle, divination”.
- Psychometry – Measuring of the mind – The science of measuring mental capacities. From Greek psykhe, plus metron, “to measure”.
- Psychopath – One who is suffering from a mental illness; a morally irresponsible person. From Greek psykhe, plus pathos, “suffering”.
- Psychosomatic – The word is used for illness or symptoms resulting from neurosis. A psychosomatic disease is caused by some intense unwillingness. Formed by Greek psykhe, plus somatos, “body”.
- Psychotropic (adj.) – Something that affects a person’s mental state. From Greek psykhe, plus trepein, “to turn”. A psychotropic drug affects the mental states. A psychotic person is one who is suffering form psychosis or mental illness.
Pulmonology –
The specialty in medicine for diseases of the lungs and respiratory tract.
➤ Root: Comes from Latin pulmo, “lungs”.
➤ Related Words:
Radiology –
The study of rays and ionising radiation.
➤ Root: Comes from Latin radius, “ray; beam of rays; spoke of a wheel”.
➤ Related Words:
- Radio – Wireless transmission of radio waves. From Latin radius, “beam”, as the wireless signals are transmitted through waves or beams of rays.
- Radioactive – Exhibiting radioactivity. Radioactivity is the spontaneous emission of a stream of particles. From Latin radius, “ray”, plus actif, “Active”.
- Radio-carbon – The radio carbon or carbon-14 is the radio-active isotope of carbon. This isotope (C-14) is used in radio-carbon dating to determine the age of organic materials. An American chemist Willard Libby discovered this method in 1940.
- Radiography – The process of forming images on a sensitive plate by means of radiation (X-rays).
The discovery of X-rays by German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in 1895 originated the term radiography. Röntgen noticed that X-rays could pass through human tissue but not through bones or metals. He named the ray “X” as it was of an unknown type. Röntgen took the first X-ray photograph of his wife’s hand.
- Radiolarian – A kind of amoeboid protist with spines. From Latin radiolus (small sun beams), diminutive of radius. The skeletons of radiolarians are generally organized around spicules, or spines, which extend from the main skeletal mass.
- Radiometric – Adjective of radiometer. A radiometer is an instrument that measures the intensity of a radiant energy.
- Radioscopy – Examination by means of X-rays. Formed by Latin radius, plus scopium, “to look at; examine”
- Radiotherapy – The therapy using the radiation. From Greek radius, plus Greek therapeia, “curing”.
- Radiocast – This word is used for radio broadcast.
Rhinology –
The study of the nose.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek rhinos, meaning “nose”.
➤ Related Words:
- Rhinoplasty is the plastic surgery of the nose.
- Rhinorrhea – Continuous watery mucous discharge from the nose. Formed by Greek rhinos, “nose”, plus rhoia, meaning “flow”.
- Rhinoceros – A kind of beast with a horn on its nose. From Greek rhinos, “nose”, plus ceros, from keros,”horn”.
- Platyrrhine monkeys are a type of monkeys that have a flat nose, the nostrils are wide apart. From Greek platus, “flat”, plus rhinos, “nose”.
- Catarrhine monkeys have nostrils that face downward. From Greek kata, “down”, plus rhinos, “nose”.
Saurology –
The study of lizards. Saurology is a branch of Zoology.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek sauros, meaning “lizard”.
➤ Related Words:
- Sauromalus – Chuckwallas; a kind of herbivorous lizard. Formed by Greek sauros, “lizard”, plus omalus, “flat”.
- Dinosaur – The Mesozoic reptile of enormous size. From Greek dinos, “terrible”, plus sorous, “lizard”
- Tyrannosaurus Rex or T. rex is the largest species of dinosaur discovered so far. From Greek tyrannos, “tyrant”, plus sauros, “lizard”, plus rex, “king”; etymologically, “a tyrant king”.
Seismology –
The study of earthquakes.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek seimos, “shaking”.
➤ Related Words:
- Seismograph – An instrument to measure the intensity, direction and duration of an earthquake. From seismos, “earthquake”, plus graphein, “to write, to measure”.
- Seismogram – The record made by a seismograph. From Greek seismos, “earthquake”, plus gramma, “drawing, picture”.
Selenology –
The study of the moon.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek selene, “the moon”.
➤ Related Words:
- Selenographer is one who studies the physiography of the moon.
- Selenotropism is growth in response to the moonlight. From Greek selene, ” moon”, plus tropos, “a turning/a growth”
Sociobiology –
The study of the effect of evolution on ethology.
➤ Root: Comes from Latin socius, “fellow, ally, companion, society”, plus Greek bios, “life”.
Sociology –
The study of society.
➤ Root: Comes from Latin socius, “fellow, ally, companion”.
➤ Related Words:
- Sociopath – One who has an anti social behaviour or mental attitude. From Greek socius, “society”, plus pathos, “suffering”.
Somatology –
The study of human body and its characteristics.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek somatos, “body”.
➤ Related Words:
- Somatic cells (which are not the egg of sperm cells,) are building blocks of a body.
- A psychosomatic disease is a bodily disease caused by a particular state of our psyche, “mind” such as intense unwillingness to do something that is compulsory.
Somnology –
The study of sleep.
➤ Root: Comes from Latin somnus, “sleep, drowsiness”. Also from somnus, “Roman god of sleep”, equivalent to hypnos, “the god of sleep” in Greek mythology.
➤ Related Words:
- Somnambulism – The act or habit of walking while asleep. From Latin somnus, “sleep”, plus ambulare “to walk”.
- Somniloquy – The habit of talking while asleep. From Latin somnus, “sleep” plus loqui, “to speak”.
- Somniferous – Sleep-inducing; soporific; something that induces sleep. From Latin somnus, “sleep”, plus ferre, “to carry to bear.
- Somnolescent – Sleepy, drowsy, lethargic.
- Somnolence – Sleepiness, drowsiness. Adjective – somnolent.
Speleology –
The study or exploration of caves.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek spelaion, “cave”.
➤ Related Words:
- Speleogenesis is the study of the origin and development of caves. From Greek spelaion, “cave”, plus Greek genesis, “origin, source, beginning”.
- Speleomorphology is the study of the change of caves over time.
- Speleomantes are the European cave salalmanders.
Stomatology –
The study of the mouth.
➤ Root: Comes from stoma, “mouth”.
➤ Related Words:
- The word stomach is built on the same root.
Technology –
The study of the practical arts.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek tekhne, “art, skill, craft”.
➤ Related Words:
- Technetium – An element artificially created.
- Technocracy – A society or a government controlled by technical experts. From Greek tekhne, “art, craft, skill”, plus kratia, “power, rule, might”.
- Technophile – Who love technology. From Greek tekhne, “skill, craft”, plus philein, “to love”
- Technophobe – Who fear or hate technology. From Greek tekhne, “skill, craft”, plus phobos, “fear, hatred”.
Thermology –
The study of heat.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek thermos, “heat, temperature”.
➤ Related Words:
- Thermal and thermic are the adjectives of temperature.
- Thermochemistry is the subject that studies the relation between the chemical actions and heat.
- Thermocline – A layer in a body of water with a temperature gradient separating surface water from cooler lower water.” From Greek thermos, plus klinein “to slope”
- Thermodynamics – The study of the relationships between heat, work, and the energy content of a system at equilibrium. From thermos, plus dynamikos, “force, power”.
- Thermoelectric – The thermoelectric effect is the direct conversion of temperature differences to electric voltage and vice versa via a thermocouple.
- Thermography – A technique that uses infrared cameras to create images that show how heat is distributed across the surface of an object. From Greek thermos, plus graphein “to write”.
- Thermometer – The instrument that is used to measure temperature of a solid, liquid or a gas. From Greek thermos, plus metron, “measure”.
Tocology –
The study of childbirth.
Synonyms – midwifery, obstetrics.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek tokos meaning “childbirth”.
➤ Related Words:
- Tocopherol – Chemical name of vitamin E. From Greek tokos, “childbirth”, plus pherein, “to bear, to carry”, plus -ol, suffix used for alcohol. So named because the vitamin E or tocopherol is essential in fertilized eggs for live birth.
Topology –
The mathematical study of closeness and connectedness of places.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek topos, “place, locality”.
➤ Related Words:
- Topography – Description of the surface features of a geographical location. From Greek topos, “place”, plus graphein, “to describe, to write”.
- Toponym – The name of a geographical location. From Greek topos, “place, location”, plus onoma or no-men, “name”.
Trichology –
The study of hair and the scalp.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek thrix, meaning “hair”.
Virology –
The study of virus.
➤ Root: Comes from Latin virus, “poison”.
➤ Related Words:
- Virologist is one who studies virology.
Volcanology –
The study of volcanoes. Also vulcanology.
➤ Root: Come from Latin Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.
Xylology –
The study of the physical and chemical properties of wood.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek xúlon, “wood”.
➤ Related Words:
- Xylem, built in the same root xúlon, is the primary component of wood. Xylem is the tissue responsible for the distribution of water and minerals taken up by the roots.
Protoxylem and Metaxylems are the two types of xylems.
- Protoxylem – Protoxylem is the primary xylem that develops first during primary growth. From Greek protos, “first”, superlative of pro, “before”.
- Metaxylem – Metaxylem is a part of the primary xylem in plants that matures after the protoxylem. From Greek meta, “last, middle”, plus xúlon, “wood”.
Zoology –
A branch of biology that studies animals.
➤ Root: Comes Greek zoion, “animal”.
➤ Related Words:
- Zodiac – The zodiac signs are a belt that extends on either side of the ecliptic plane, which is the path of the sun and the Earth’s orbit. The zodiac signs include some pictures of animals. From Greek zoion, “animal”.
- Zooplankton are the animals that live in a large body of water and swim along the current. From Greek zoion, “animal”, plus plankton.
Zymology –
The study of fermentation.
➤ Root: Comes from Greek zúmē, “leaven”, a substance to produce fermentation in dough or a liquid.
➤ Related Words:
- Zymozen – An inactive protein precursor of an enzyme secreted by living cells and converted (as by a kinase or an acid) into an active form. called also proenzyme. From Greek zúmē, “leaven”, plus genes, “producer, agent”.
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