Cute ass filipino gigolo

Despite the ancient origins of the Greek [and later, via French, Latin] suffix -logia, and eventually -ology, the addition of -ology to mean “the study of" a subject didn’t begin in earnest until the mid-1800s. A few related words (such as theology) existed before then, but it was not a commonly-used root in the sciences before that period.

Today, though, it’s a ubiquitous root, used in science and nonce words alike. Want to study some animal -ologies? Here are a few of those fields!

[Of course, many of these fields of study don’t universally use the Latin/Greek name, but it’s fun to know!] Biology: The study of organic life. The root bio- is from the Greek bios, meaning “the way of life, the way one lives” (properly-formed example: biography), so “biology” takes some liberties with its modern definition.

Zoology: The study of animals. From Greek zoion (animal, living being).

Birds! Ornithology - Extinct birds! Paleornithology - Bird nests! Caliology - Bird eggs! Oology- Nestlings! Neossology - Bird feathers! Pteryolology

Bugs! Entomology - Honeybees! Apiology - All bees! Mellitology - Wasps! Vespology - Beetles! Coleopterology - Grasshoppers! Orthopterology [rare alt. Acridilogy] - Flies! Dipterology - Ants! Myrmecology - Bugs on dead people! Forensic entomology - Pollination! Anthecology

Arachnids! Arachnology - Spiders! Araneology - Ticks and mites! Acarology

Other Arthropods! Arthropodology - Crabs! Carcinology - Centipedes and millipedes! Myriapodology - Squids, octopi, and other molluscs! Malacology  - Shells! Conchology

Fish! Ichthyology - Sharks and rays! Elasmobranchology - Freshwater fish! Limnobiology [full freshwater ecosystem] - Plankton! Planktology - Extinct fishes! Palaeichthyology

Amphibians and reptiles! Herpetology [amphibians only - Amphibiology] - Snakes! Ophiology - Frogs! Batrachology - Turtles! Cheloniology - Lizards and geckos! Squamatology or Saurology - Salamanders! Caudatology