paleontology

/ˈpeɪliˈɑnˌtɑlədʒi/

That five-year-old dinosaur expert who can tell a trilobite from a pterodactyl and tell you which thrived during the Jurassic period? She’s a budding paleontology expert.

Scientific language aims at clarity, and scientists generally speak to each other in Greek and Latin. The commonly used suffix -ology comes from Greek, and it means "the study of." The prefix paleo means "old." So, paleontology is the study of that which is old — really, really old. The word paleontology entered the English language in the 19th century, just as scientists were making a systematic effort to analyze fossil records.

Definitions of paleontology

1. noun

   the earth science that studies fossil organisms and related remains
   synonyms: fossilology, palaeontology

   types:

   palaeobiology, paleobiology

   a branch of paleontology that deals with the origin and growth and structure of fossil animals and plants as living organisms

   micropaleontology

   the paleontology of microfossils

   vertebrate paleontology

   the paleontology of vertebrates

   human palaeontology, human paleontology, palaeoanthropology, paleoanthropology

   the scientific study of human fossils

   palaeobotany, paleobotany

   the study of fossil plants

   palaeozoology, paleozoology

   the study of fossil animals

   type of:

   earth science

   any of the sciences that deal with the earth or its parts