-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.

phthisiologist
1. A physician who specializes in phthisiology.
2. An obsolete term for specialist in tuberculosis.
phthisiology
1. The care, treatment, and study of tuberculosis.
2. The study or science of tuberculosis.
phycologist
phycology (noun)
The branch of botany dealing with algae or concerned with the scientific study of algae which is also known as algology.
phylaxiology
phyllobiology
The study of leaves.
physicology
The science of nature, or of natural objects; that branch of science which treats of the laws and properties of matter, and the forces acting upon it; especially, that department of natural science which treats of the causes (as gravitation, heat, light, magnetism, electricity, etc) that modify the general properties of bodies; natural philosophy.
physiologist
1. A natural philosopher; a naturalist who is engaged in the biological study of the functions of living organisms and their parts.
2. Someone who studies the functions of a living organism or any of its parts.
3. A biologist specializing in physiology.
physiology
1. The branch of biology that deals with the internal workings of living things, including functions such as metabolism, respiration, and reproduction, rather than with their shape or structure.
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.

physiopathology (s) (noun), physiopathologies (pl)
The branch of medicine that deals with how a disease disrupts normal body performances: Part of Mary's medical studies covered the area of physiopathology, the science dealing with the disturbances of bodily functions resulting from illnesses or disorders.
phytobiology
Botany, particularly the life history of plants.
phytocoenology
phytology
phytopathology (s) (noun) (no pl)
In botany, the study of plant diseases: Phytopathology was important to Joe because it gave him a lot of knowledge and insight regarding the different kinds plant illnesses and infections, and, in addition, information on controlling the pests on his garden plants.
phytopharmacology
1. The applications of plant physiology to medical problems.
2. The study of major constituents (active ingredients) and medicinal values of plants; toxicity or hazardous components; essential oils; value-added products and possible uses; cultivation and harvesting; diseases and insects found in medicinal plants.
3. The study of the active chemicals in plants that effect our biological systems. The plants' chemical components are studied for medical and psychoactive reactions.

Many of the chemicals of plants mimic our own bodily chemicals and in some instances enhance the normal reactions that would occur; however, sometimes they block the normal functions of our neural and other cellular functions. These are factors that must be evaluated in the phytopharmacological research of plants.

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-.