-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. A field of science whose goal is to control individual atoms and molecules to create computer chips and other devices that are thousands of times smaller than current technologies permit. Now, current manufacturing processes are using lithography to imprint circuits on semiconductor materials.
3. In the popular press, the term nanotechnology is sometimes used to refer to any sub-micron process, including lithography; as a result of this, there are many scientists who are beginning to use the term molecular nanotechnology when talking about true nanotechnology at the molecular level.
4. The science and technology of devices and materials; such as, electronic circuits or drug delivery systems, constructed on extremely small scales, as small as individual atoms and molecules.
This is the science and technology of precisely manipulating the structure of matter at the molecular level. The term nanotechnology embraces many fields and specialties, including engineering, chemistry, electronics, and medicine, among others; but all are concerned with bringing existing technologies down to a very small scale, measured in nanometers.
- A nanometer (a billionth of a meter) is about the size of six carbon atoms in a row.
- Today, as in the past, most industrial products are created by pushing piles of millions of atoms together; by mixing, grinding, heating; a very imprecise process.
- Scientists can now pick up individual atoms to assemble them into simple structures or cause specific chemical reactions.
- Propellers have been attached to molecular motors, and electricity has been conducted through nanowires.
- Nanotubes made of carbon are being investigated for a variety of industrial and research purposes.
- In the future, nanotechnology may be able to harness the forces that operate at the scale of the nanometer; as well as, changes in the quantum states of particles, for new engineering purposes.
- The development of nanotechnology holds out great promise of improvements in the quality of human life, including new treatments for diseases and greater efficiency in computer data storage and processing.
- Tiny autonomous robots, or nanobots, may one day be sent into human bodies to repair cells and cure cancers, perhaps even extending the human life span by many years (all very speculative).
- The simple devices created by nanotechnology so far have not approached the complexity of the envisioned nanomachines and nanobots.
- Some scientists even see a dark side to the technology, emphasizing the need for caution in its development, particularly in attempts to create nonobots that can replicate themselves like living organisms.
This field will become a very important part of production in the years to come, as a new generation of micromachines and nanomachines find their way out of the laboratory and onto the production line.
More information about nanotribology is available here.
2. A writer of obituaries.
2. A notice of someone’s death; an obituary.
3. The science of the collection, classification, and interpretation of mortality statistics.
4. The study of decomposition, fossilization, and other processes affecting plant and animal remains after death.
2. Someone who invents or employs new words.
3. Anyone who introduces, or uses new words, or new senses of existing words.
4. A person who adopts new views, or new doctrines; especially, a new interpretation of sacred writings or views of theology.
5. In psychiatry, someone who produces a new word, often consisting of a combination of other words, that is understood only by the speaker.
This occurs most often in the speech of schizophrenics.
2. A new doctrine; especially, a doctrine at variance with the received interpretation of revealed truth; a new method of theological interpretation; rationalism.
2. The study and science of the newborn up to two months of age postnatally.
3. The branch of medicine dealing with the newborn infant and its diseases, as well as its physical and psychological care, assessment, and development.
