-ology, -logy, -ologist, -logist

(Greek: a suffix meaning: to talk, to speak; a branch of knowledge; any science or academic field that ends in -ology which is a variant of -logy; a person who speaks in a certain manner; someone who deals with certain topics or subjects)

The word -ology is a back-formation from the names of certain disciplines. The -logy element basically means "the study of ____". Such words are formed from Greek or Latin roots with the terminal -logy derived from the Greek suffix -λογια (-logia), speaking, from λεγειν (legein), "to speak".

The suffix -ology is considered to be misleading sometimes as when the "o" is actually part of the word stem that receives the -logy ending; such as, bio + logy.

Through the years -ology and -logy have come to mean, "study of" or "science of" and either of these suffixes often utilize the form of -ologist, "one who (whatever the preceding element refers to)".

The examples shown in this unit represent just a small fraction of the many words that exist in various dictionaries.

fecal anthropology (s) (noun), fecal anthropologies (pl)
The study of human excrement to determine the diet and health of the people who produced it: Elements of seeds, small bones, and parasite eggs provide clues in fecal anthropology and intact feces of ancient people may be found in caves, in arid climates, and in other places where people have lived in the past.
fetologist (s) (noun), fetologists (pl)
A specialist in the field of medicine involving the study, diagnosis, and treatment of the fetus: Besides studying to become a midwife, Janet also wanted to become a fetologist and know as much as possible about unborn babies.
fetology (s) (noun) (no pl)
A field of medicine involving the study, diagnosis, and treatment of the fetus within the uterus: Fetology is a subspecialty of obstetrics and gynecology devoted to the study of the obstetrical, medical, and surgical complications of pregnancy.
florology
The study of flowers, their distributions, their development, etc.
fluidics, fluidic technology
1. A technology that carries out sensing, control, information processing, and actuation functions with fluid dynamic phenomena rather than mechanical moving parts.
2. The science, or technology, of using tiny jets of a gas or a liquid rather than electronic circuits for sensing, amplifying, or controlling certain functions.
fluviologist
A specialist in the study of rivers.
fluviology
1. The scientific study of rivers.
2. The facts and conditions relating to a river or a river-system.
fluviomorphology, river morphology
The study of a river channel and the network of tributaries within the river basin, in which an aerial view and the shape of a given cross section within a limited reach are examined at several points along the channel
folk etymology (s), (noun), folk etymologies (pl)
1. The incorrect origin for a word; an idea about the origin of a word that is generally believed but is incorrect.
2. A modification of a linguistic form according either to a falsely assumed etymology, or to a historically irrelevant analogy.
2. A popular but false notion of the origin of a word.

A few humorous examples of folk etymology

The word woman is derived from woe- + man; and so, "a bringer of woe".
The origin of virgin, comes from vir, Latin for "man", and gin, "a trap" and so a virgin is "a mantrap" or a "trapper of men".

—Compiled from Humorous English by Evan Esar;
Horizon Press, New York; 1961; page 27.
forensic anthropology (s) (noun), forensic anthropologies (pl)
The branch of physical studies of humans in which data, criteria, and techniques are used to determine the sex, age, genetic population, or parentage of skeletal or biological materials in questions of civil or criminal law: Forensic anthropology may also help determine the length of life, gender, stature, and unique features of the deceased people from their remains.
forensic entomology
The examination of insects in, on, and around human remains to assist in determining the time or location of death.

Medicolegal forensic entomology includes arthropod involvement (mostly necrophagous or corpse-eating) involving events such as murder, suicide and rape, but also includes physical abuse and contraband trafficking.

In murder investigations, it is concerned with where and when insects lay eggs; and in what order they appear in dead bodies. This can be helpful in determining the time or post mortem interval and location of the death being investigated.

forensic meteorology
The process of reconstructing weather events for a certain location.

This is done by acquiring local weather reports, radar and satellite images, and eyewitness accounts.

Forensic meteorology is most often used in court cases for use by insurance companies or for a murder investigation.

forensic pathology (s) (noun) (no pl)
A branch of medicine concerned with determining the cause of deaths usually for civil or criminal law cases: Floyd thought that forensic pathology sounded very exciting and decided to specialize in this field of work.

The forensic pathologist performs autopsies to determine the cause of a death, such as examining a bullet wound to the head, exsanguination, strangulation, etc. and the manner of a death (including homicide, accident, natural, or suicide).

Forensic pathologists also work closely with the coroner (England and Wales) or medical examiner (United States). The examination of dead bodies (autopsy or post mortem) is a subset of anatomical pathology.

Forensic pathologists are often also known as forensic medical examiners or police surgeons.

forensic toxicology
The use of toxicology to aid a medicolegal investigation of death and poisoning.

Many toxic substances do not produce characteristic lesions, so if a toxic reaction is suspected, visual investigation may not provide an adequate deduction.

A forensic toxicologist must consider the context of an investigation, in particular any physical symptoms recorded, and any evidence collected at a crime scene that may narrow the search; such as, pill bottles, powders, trace residue, and any available chemicals.

Provided with this information and samples with which to work, the forensic toxicologist must determine which toxic substances are present, in what concentrations, and the probable effect of those chemicals on the human subject being investigated.

futurologist (s) (noun), futurologists (pl)
Someone whose occupation or specialty is the forecasting of events, conditions, or developments that will take place: Loren is a well-known futurologist who can provide explanations for the various changes in living conditions that people should expect as a result of the current economic conditions.
Cross references of word families related directly, or indirectly, to: "talk, speak, speech; words, language; tongue, etc.": cit-; clam-; dic-; fa-; -farious; glosso-; glotto-; lalo-; linguo-; locu-; logo-; loqu-; mythico-; ora-; -phasia; -phemia; phon-; phras-; Quotes: Language,Part 1; Quotes: Language, Part 2; Quotes: Language, Part 3; serm-; tongue; voc-.