-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.
2. The scientific study of the art, taste, and texture of gelato; in this case, an Italian ice cream or "ice".
2. Someone who specializes in gelotology, the study of humor, laughter, and the exercising of the gelastic muscles, a deeply serious exploration of what happens to the physical systems; such as, respiration and circulation, when people are exposed to humor.
Gelotologists are serious people who study laughter, and they would be the first to tell you that the results of their research is very much a laughing matter.
2. The study of humor and laughter, and its effects on the body.
