‘Ologies’ You May Not Have Heard Of
Most of us know that ‘ology’ means ‘the study of.’
We all sat through various ologies at school, while many of us will have jobs connected to an ology.
But in this blog, I’ll be covering off a few that you might not have heard of before…
Psephology
While the study of politics is generally known as ‘Political Science,’ Psephology is the study and analysis of polling data and trends in voting.
So whenever there’s a general election or by-election coverage on TV, you’ll have a presenter, a few former or current politicians and more than likely someone who analyses and explains the incoming polling data. This person is a psephologist.
Psephology comes from the Greek word ‘psephos’ meaning ‘pebble,’ which was the earliest form of voting in ancient Greece — because the public would use a pebble to cast their votes.
Oenology
Oenology, derived from the Greek word oinos (meaning wine) refers to the science dedicated to the study and knowledge of wines.
But to be honest, it’s not a specialised study. Just inspect the contents of your neighbours’ (and possibly your own) glass recycling bins once a week, and you’ll realise that the country is full of amateur oenologists.
Pomology
The etymology behind this word is simple, but there’s a fun fact attached to it.
Pomology — from the Latin pomum — is the study of fruit, and more specifically, the science of fruit growing.
But ‘Pom?’ Where have we heard that before? Well, you’ve probably heard or read many Australians refer colloquially to British people as ‘Poms.’
So why?
In the 1940s, the government offered British people paid for passage to Australia under an assisted immigration scheme, which meant over the next few decades, Australia was flooded with British immigrants. They began referring to these Brits as ‘Poms’ because ‘immigrant’ sounded a bit like ‘pommegranite.’ This was shortened to ‘Pommy,’ which was then further contracted to ‘Pom.’
Thus a long-enduring — and not overly endearing — label was born.
Speleology
Nope, it’s the not the study of spelling. (that’s orthography) Speleology is the study of caves. But there’s more to this branch of knowledge than just fumbling around caves — speleology is a scientific discipline that’s also concerned with the chemical solution of limestone, stalagmite and stalactite formations, as well as the hydrologic impact on caves.
Eschatology
From the Greek word ‘eskhatos’ meaning ‘last,’ eschatology is a branch of theology concerned with the study of the end of the world.
Now, this doesn’t just relate to the apocalypse or the end of days — it’s also the study of divine judgment and the afterlife, including how and where people think they’ll be placed after death.
Eschatology is an interesting topic, as very often it highlights some of the differences between religions and/or denominations. For example, people of Christian faith believe that there is an ‘end of days’ including — amongst other events — the second coming and a great day of judgement where people will, based on their deeds in life, go to heaven, purgatory or hell.
However, Hindu eschatology for example is very different. In this faith, there is no judgement day, because Hindus believe that life moves in a more cyclical way, and that people are reincarnated into a new body based on their deeds in their previous life (‘karma’).
Eschatological beliefs often help people of faith stay dedicated to their god, and enable them to remain hopeful in life of a rewarding end. But that’s really just scratching the surface — it’s a huge topic, and well worth checking out.
So there you are — 5 fascinating ‘ology’ examples which will hopefully inspire you to study more about words. Which would make you a lexicologist. 🙂
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