Ology: Words that End with -ology, with their Origin and Related Words

• Aerobacter (n.) –  type of bacteria widely spread in the air.

• Aeroplane – aero (air) plus Greek planos (wandering). Aeroplane means a vehicle that wanders in the air.

• 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”.

• Agrostography – The description of grasses. Formed by agrostis plus Greek graphein, meaning “to write, to describe, to draw”.

• Algaecide – A substance that kills algae. Formed by Latin alga plus Latin cīda, “killer” from Latin caedo, “kill”.

• 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”.

• 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”.

• Apiculture – The cultivation of bees. From Greek apis, “bee”, plus Latin cultura “a cultivating, agriculture”.

• 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”.

• Audiophile – One who has interest in producing high-fidelity sound. Formed by Latin audire, plus Greek Philein, “to love”.

• 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.

• 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”.

• Biography – The description of one’s life. Formed by Greek bios, plus graphein, “to write, to draw, to describe”.

• Electrocardiography (ECG) – It is a recording of heart’s electrical activity.

• 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.

• Accriminate – to accuse someone of an offence. Formed by ac “to”+ criminate  “accuse”

• Cryogen – That produces freezing temperature. Formed by kryos plus Greek gene, to give birth. Cryogenic is the adjective. Cryogenic 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.

• 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.

• Cytoplasm – the contents of a cell except for the plasma. Latin plasma “mold”. So  cytoplasm literally means “something that forms something”.

• Rhododendron – An evergreen shrub cultivated for its profuse handsome flower. Formed by Greek rhodon “rose”, plus dendron “tree”. So, etymologically rhododendron means “rose-tree”.

• Dendrophilous (adj.) – animals living in trees are called dendrophilous animals; arboreal.

• 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”.

• 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”.

• Embryogenesis – The process by which an embryo is formed. The Greek word genesis means birth or formation.

• Exocrine glands – Gland that secretes hormone 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”.

• Entomophagous – insectivorous; an animal that feeds on insects. Formed by Greek entomon plus phagos meaning “eater of” from phagein (to eat).Phagein has a Proto Indo-European root i.e. bhaga, meaning “to share out; to get a share; apportion”.

• 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.

• 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 –

• Epitaph – An inscription on a tombstone. Formed by Greek epi, “on or over” with taphos, “tomb, burial”.

• 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 –

• Euphoria – A state of intense happiness.  Formed byEu “good, well” plus Greek phero meaning “to bear”.

• Faline (adj.) – Adjective 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.

• Foeticide (n.) – The killing of the foetus. Formed by foetus, “unborn baby”, plus Latin caedere, “to kill”.

• 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.

• 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).

• • 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.

• • Geocentrism (n.) – The description of the universe with the earth at the centre and the sun, moon, stars and other planets all orbit (move around) the 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 lined with crystals, identical to the shape of the earth. See images. Formed by gē  “earth”, plus Greek suffix oidēs meaning “characterised by”.

• 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”.

• • Geriatrics (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.

• 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” / “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 (genitive 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 hormonal imbalance. The word is formed by Greek gyne, “woman”, plus Greek mastos, “women’s breast, mammary gland”.

• 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)

• Heliograph – The description of the sun. Formed by helios, plus Greek 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.

• 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.

• • 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.

• Hippocampus – A kind of sea monster, part horse and part fish. Formed by Greek hippos, “horse” plus kampos, “sea monster”. (Plural – hippocampi).

• Histamine (n.) – Amine (a chemical) found in some cells in the body. Histidine is another such amine.

• • 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.

• 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”.

• Lepidoptera – The order of insects with four scaly wings.

• 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.

• Meteor – Any of the small solid extra terrestrial bodies that hits the earth’s atmosphere, built on the same root.

• Mycosis – Presence of fungus as parasites in the body, causing a disease. Formed by Greek mykes plus -osis, meaning “a state of disease”.

• • 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.

• Nephophile – One who loves clouds. Formed by Greek nephos, plus Greek Philein, “to love”

• 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”)

• 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 disorder. Formed by neura, plus Greek -osis, meaning “a disease”.

• 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.

Ophiology –

• 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”.

• Ornithomancy – Divination 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.

• Orography – Study or description of the mountains (having the same meaning as orology.)

• Orographic Rainfall – Orographic Rainfall is a type of precipitation that occurs when moist air rises over a mountain.

• 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”.

• 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”.

• 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”.

• Pathophysiology – The changes in function as a result of disease or injury. Formed by pathos, “disease; suffering”, plus Greek physios, “nature”, plus Greek logos, “study”.

• 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”.

• 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”.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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”.

• Psychokinesis – The psychic power to move objects. Formed by psykhe, plus Greek kinein, “to move”.

• 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”.

• 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”.

• Seismograph – An instrument to measure the intensity, direction and duration of an earthquake. From seismos, “earthquake”, plus graphein, “to write, to measure”.

• 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”

• Sociopath – One who has an anti social behaviour or mental attitude. From Greek socius, “society”, plus pathos, “suffering”.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• The word stomach is built on the same root.

• 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”.

• 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 vitamin E or tocopherol is essential in fertilized eggs for live birth.

• 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”.

• Virologist is one who studies virology.

• 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 – 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”.

• 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.

• 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”.