-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. An obsolete term for specialist in tuberculosis.
2. The study or science of tuberculosis.
2. Someone who studies the functions of a living organism or any of its parts.
3. A biologist specializing in physiology.
2. The biological study of the functions of living organisms and their parts.
3. All the functions of a living organism or any of its parts.
4. The way a particular body or organism works.
This is a branch of medical science that deals with the healthy functions of different organs, and the changes that the whole body undergoes in the course of its activities.
2. The science dealing with the disturbances of bodily function resulting from disease.
2. The pathology of diseases caused by plant parasites.
