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zo·ol·o·gy
 zoology
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- pronunciation:
- zu
a
l
ji
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer, Word Parts
| part of speech: |
noun |
| inflections: |
zoologies |
| definition: |
the science and study of animals.
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The word zoology is formed from zoion, an ancient Greek word that means "animal," and the suffix "-ology," which means "the study of."
The word zoology
contains the following parts:
zo, zoo
Greek
root
that means animal, life
  Example words:
-logy, -ology
Greek
noun-forming suffix
that means study of, science of; written work; structure or principle
More about this word part:
The suffix -logy
, -ology
forms nouns from bases that are predominantly Greek roots. It is a terminal form of the root log, logo, -logue which in the vast majority cases signifies the study or science of the subject indicated by the base. In some words, however, -ology
carries the meaning "written work" (trilogy) or "structure" (homology). See log, logo, -logue. Most nouns ending in -logy
, -ology
have an adjective form ending in "-ical." (dermatology, dermatological).
Example words:
anthology, anthropology, apology, archeology, astrology, biology, ecology, etymology, geology, mythology, ornithology, paleontology, psychology, technology, zoology
- synonyms:
- -ics
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