Look up -ology in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
-logy is a
suffix in
English, found in words originally adapted from
Greek words ending in -λογία (-logia). The earliest
English examples were anglicizations of the
French-logie, which was in turn inherited from the
Latin-logia.[1]
a combining form used in the names of sciences or bodies of knowledge (e.g. theology or biology)
an ending of nouns that refer to kinds of writing or collections of writing (e.g. eulogy or trilogy)
Etymology
In the first case, -logy is derived originally from -λογ- (-log-) (a variant of -λεγ-, -leg-), from the
Greek verb λέγειν (legein, 'to speak').[3] The suffix has the sense of 'the character or department of one who speaks or treats of [a certain subject]', or more succinctly, 'the study of [a certain subject]'.[4] In the second case, -logy is derived originally from the
Greek noun λόγος (logos, 'speech').[5] The suffix has the sense of '[a certain kind of] speaking or writing'.[6]
Etymology (alternative suggestion by
ἀνυπόδητος (
talk))
In words of the type theology, the suffix is derived originally from -λογ- (-log-) (a variant of -λεγ-, -leg-), from the
Greek verb λέγειν (legein, 'to speak').[7] The suffix has the sense of 'the character or department of one who speaks or treats of [a certain subject]', or more succinctly, 'the study of [a certain subject]'.[8]
In words of the type trilogy, the suffix is derived originally from the
Greek noun λόγος (logos, 'speech').[9] The suffix has the sense of '[a certain kind of] speaking or writing'.[10]
-logy versus -ology
In
English names for fields of study, the suffix -logy is most frequently found preceded by the vowel o so the word ends in -ology. In traditional English grammar, the -o- in -ology is not considered part of the suffix -logy. This is because the -o- is not part of the suffix in the original
Greek names for fields of study: In these
Greek words, the
root is always a noun and -o- is the
combining vowel for all declensions of Greek nouns. However, when new names for fields of study have been coined in modern English, the formations ending in -logy almost invariably follow the Greek model by adding an -o-, even though there is no grammatical necessity in English. There are two exceptions: petralogy (a variant of petrology) and mineralogy.[11]
Additional usage as a suffix
In
English, words ending in -logy are sometimes used to describe a subject rather than the study of it (e.g. technology). This usage is particularly widespread in medicine; for example, pathology is often used not simply to refer to 'the study of a disease' but to refer to 'the disease' itself (e.g. "We haven't found the pathology yet").
When appended to other English words, the suffix can also be used humorously to create
nonce words (e.g. beerology as 'the study of beer', Wikiology as 'the study of Wikipedia'). As with other
classical compounds, adding the suffix to a initial word-stem derived from
Greek or
Latin may be used to lend grandeur or the impression of scientific rigor to humble pursuits, as in cosmetology ('the study of hairdressing') or cynology ('the study of dog training').
Actinology, the study of the effect of light on chemicals
Aerobiology, a branch of biology that studies organic particles, such as bacteria, fungal spores, very small insects and pollen, which are passively transported by the air.
Archaeology, the study of past cultures through the analysis of material remains
Archaeozoology, the study of relationships between humans and animals over time through examination of animal remains at archaeological sites (also see
Zooarchaeology)
Christology, the
theological study of redemption (christos > christein: to sacrament), not only speaking of
Christianity but also extended to religion in general
Chorology, the study of the relationship of biological or other phenomena to their locations
Chronology the study of things in order of time or the study of time
Genealogy (commonly misspelled and mispronounced as "geneology"), the study of relationships within families particularly with a view to constructing
family trees
Genecology, the study of genetic differences in relation to the environment
Phenomenology, the study and science of phenomena as distinct from the science of actual existence or being; also a movement founded by Husserl which studies conscious experience without its metaphysical concerns
Philology, the study of a language together with its literature
Stemmatology, a discipline that attempts to reconstruct the transmission of a text (especially a text in manuscript form) on the basis of relations between the various surviving manuscripts
Stomatology, the estudy of the mouth and its diseases.
Zooarchaeology, the study and analysis of animal remains at archaeological sites to reconstruct relationships between people, animals, and their environment (also see
Archaeozoology)
Eulogy, a commemoration of a person's life at his/her funeral.
Hagiology is
literature dealing with the life of a
saint or, indeed, any revered person, a biography of an individual, rather than a study of saints, sainthood or saintliness in general.
Ideology, sometimes spelled idealogy, is a system of ideas about politics, human life or culture.
Menology, a register of months, or a
calendar of the lives of the
saints for each day of the year.
Necrology, a list of people who have died, especially in the recent past or during a specific period.
Philology, the historical study of languages. This is not a ology in the strict sense, because it is not the study (-ologia) of love (philo-), but the love (philo-) of literature (logia).
Phraseology is the way words are put together, therefore the
style being used in a
sentence, or the set of
phrases or the choice of words used by any particular group of people, or a type of
register that reflects the form of language used in a certain social situation in which particular subjects are being discussed.
Look up -ology in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
-logy is a
suffix in
English, found in words originally adapted from
Greek words ending in -λογία (-logia). The earliest
English examples were anglicizations of the
French-logie, which was in turn inherited from the
Latin-logia.[1]
a combining form used in the names of sciences or bodies of knowledge (e.g. theology or biology)
an ending of nouns that refer to kinds of writing or collections of writing (e.g. eulogy or trilogy)
Etymology
In the first case, -logy is derived originally from -λογ- (-log-) (a variant of -λεγ-, -leg-), from the
Greek verb λέγειν (legein, 'to speak').[3] The suffix has the sense of 'the character or department of one who speaks or treats of [a certain subject]', or more succinctly, 'the study of [a certain subject]'.[4] In the second case, -logy is derived originally from the
Greek noun λόγος (logos, 'speech').[5] The suffix has the sense of '[a certain kind of] speaking or writing'.[6]
Etymology (alternative suggestion by
ἀνυπόδητος (
talk))
In words of the type theology, the suffix is derived originally from -λογ- (-log-) (a variant of -λεγ-, -leg-), from the
Greek verb λέγειν (legein, 'to speak').[7] The suffix has the sense of 'the character or department of one who speaks or treats of [a certain subject]', or more succinctly, 'the study of [a certain subject]'.[8]
In words of the type trilogy, the suffix is derived originally from the
Greek noun λόγος (logos, 'speech').[9] The suffix has the sense of '[a certain kind of] speaking or writing'.[10]
-logy versus -ology
In
English names for fields of study, the suffix -logy is most frequently found preceded by the vowel o so the word ends in -ology. In traditional English grammar, the -o- in -ology is not considered part of the suffix -logy. This is because the -o- is not part of the suffix in the original
Greek names for fields of study: In these
Greek words, the
root is always a noun and -o- is the
combining vowel for all declensions of Greek nouns. However, when new names for fields of study have been coined in modern English, the formations ending in -logy almost invariably follow the Greek model by adding an -o-, even though there is no grammatical necessity in English. There are two exceptions: petralogy (a variant of petrology) and mineralogy.[11]
Additional usage as a suffix
In
English, words ending in -logy are sometimes used to describe a subject rather than the study of it (e.g. technology). This usage is particularly widespread in medicine; for example, pathology is often used not simply to refer to 'the study of a disease' but to refer to 'the disease' itself (e.g. "We haven't found the pathology yet").
When appended to other English words, the suffix can also be used humorously to create
nonce words (e.g. beerology as 'the study of beer', Wikiology as 'the study of Wikipedia'). As with other
classical compounds, adding the suffix to a initial word-stem derived from
Greek or
Latin may be used to lend grandeur or the impression of scientific rigor to humble pursuits, as in cosmetology ('the study of hairdressing') or cynology ('the study of dog training').
Actinology, the study of the effect of light on chemicals
Aerobiology, a branch of biology that studies organic particles, such as bacteria, fungal spores, very small insects and pollen, which are passively transported by the air.
Archaeology, the study of past cultures through the analysis of material remains
Archaeozoology, the study of relationships between humans and animals over time through examination of animal remains at archaeological sites (also see
Zooarchaeology)
Christology, the
theological study of redemption (christos > christein: to sacrament), not only speaking of
Christianity but also extended to religion in general
Chorology, the study of the relationship of biological or other phenomena to their locations
Chronology the study of things in order of time or the study of time
Genealogy (commonly misspelled and mispronounced as "geneology"), the study of relationships within families particularly with a view to constructing
family trees
Genecology, the study of genetic differences in relation to the environment
Phenomenology, the study and science of phenomena as distinct from the science of actual existence or being; also a movement founded by Husserl which studies conscious experience without its metaphysical concerns
Philology, the study of a language together with its literature
Stemmatology, a discipline that attempts to reconstruct the transmission of a text (especially a text in manuscript form) on the basis of relations between the various surviving manuscripts
Stomatology, the estudy of the mouth and its diseases.
Zooarchaeology, the study and analysis of animal remains at archaeological sites to reconstruct relationships between people, animals, and their environment (also see
Archaeozoology)
Eulogy, a commemoration of a person's life at his/her funeral.
Hagiology is
literature dealing with the life of a
saint or, indeed, any revered person, a biography of an individual, rather than a study of saints, sainthood or saintliness in general.
Ideology, sometimes spelled idealogy, is a system of ideas about politics, human life or culture.
Menology, a register of months, or a
calendar of the lives of the
saints for each day of the year.
Necrology, a list of people who have died, especially in the recent past or during a specific period.
Philology, the historical study of languages. This is not a ology in the strict sense, because it is not the study (-ologia) of love (philo-), but the love (philo-) of literature (logia).
Phraseology is the way words are put together, therefore the
style being used in a
sentence, or the set of
phrases or the choice of words used by any particular group of people, or a type of
register that reflects the form of language used in a certain social situation in which particular subjects are being discussed.