The -logy Suffix

Affixation, the addition of an affix (i.e. a prefix or a suffix) to a word, has been and will almost certainly continue to be the most productive word-formation process in English. However, not all affixes have the same derivational productivity. Crystal (2005) posits that the Old-English th ending, for instance (found in breadth, length, warmth, depth, width, sixth, etc), "is hardly ever used now to create new words." By contrast, other suffixes, such as able, appear to lend themselves to a highly productive nature. The suffix able can potentially be annexed to most existing verbs in order to create an adjective meaning "can be" or "tending to." Equally productive is the logy suffix, which can be adjoined to a wide variety of free and bound morphemes to create the meaning of "the branch of science that deals with" or "the scientific study of." For instance, geology is the branch of science that deals with the earth, the geo part being a bound morpheme of a Greek origin meaning earth; biology is the science of life, the bio part again a bound morpheme of a Greek origin meaning life. The words audiology (audio+logy) and dialectology (dialect+logy) are each a combination of a free morpheme and the logy suffix. In point of fact, logy is now one of the most prolific English suffixes that is being used lavishly to tag technical (or technically sounding) names to newly explored arenas.

In this article, I have endeavoured to accumulate a large number of "logy" words (listed alphabetically below in a table) that the student of English may find useful to learn. To ensure maximum benefit, the student is strongly advised to do the exercise that follows the list.

NB: The meanings of the words given in the table below are the ones that serve our interest in this paper. It is worth noting that many of these logy words are polysemous, i.e. they have more than one meaning.

Logy word	Branch of science that deals with…/ The scientific study of…
aerology	atmospheric conditions away from ground level
agriology	the history and customs of non-literate peoples
agrology	agriculture
algology	algae
anthropology	humankind
araneology	spiders
archaeology	human antiquities
astrology	prediction of natural phenomena
audiology	hearing
bacteriology	bacteria
biology	living organisms
cardiology	the heart
characterlogy	character, esp. its development and variation between individuals
choreology	the movements of dancing
chromatology	colours
climatology	climate
cosmetology	beautifying the face, hair, and skin
cosmology	structure and evolution of the universe
criminology	crime
cryptology	codes
dermatology	the skin
dialectology	dialects
ecology	organisms' relations to one another and the physical environment in which they live
egyptology	Egyptian antiquities
embryology	the development of an organism
entomology	insects
enzymology	enzymes
epistemology	the varieties, grounds, and validity of knowledge
ethnology	the characteristics of different peoples
etymology	the formation and development of a word
fungology	fungi
futurology	the future, esp. by the study of present trends in society
genealogy	lineage, pedigree, family stock
geology	earth
geomorphology	the physical features of the earth's surface
glaciology	the geological action of ice
graphology	written and printed symbols and of writing systems
gynaecology	physiology and diseases of women
haematology	the blood, esp. its disorders
historiology	history
hydrology	treatment by baths and waters
ideology	the origin and nature of ideas
immunology	resistance to infection in humans and animals
lexicology	words, their form, meaning, and (sometimes) history
malariology	malaria
mammalogy	mammals
meteorology	forecasting the weather
methodology	empirical research or the methods employed in it
micro-biology	micro-organisms
micrology	macroscopic organisms
mineralogy	minerals
morphology	change, formation, and inflection of words in language
musicology	music
neurology	anatomy, functions, and organic disorders of nerves and the nervous system
numerology	the occult or esoteric significance of numbers
oceanology	the human use of the sea
odontology	the structure and development of teeth
oncology	tumours
ornithology	birds
palaeontology	extinct and fossil animals and plants
pathology	diseases
pharmacology	drugs
philology	literary or classical scholarship
phonology	sound system in language
physiology	the normal functioning of living organisms
planetology	planets and their evolution
polemology	war
primatology	primates
psychology	the human mind and its functioning
psychopathology	mental illnesses and abnormalities
pyrology	fire and heat
radiology	X-rays and other forms of radiation
rheumatology	rheumatisms
seismology	earthquakes
semiology	linguistic signs and symbols
sociology	human society
sophiology	the relations between God and the world
spectrology	spectra
symbology	the use of symbols
technology	the mechanical arts or applied sciences
textology	the evolution of texts
thanatology	death
theology	God; divinity
thermology	heat
topology	the topography of a particular region
toxicology	poisons
trichology	the functions, structure, and diseases of the hair
typology	symbolism
virology	viruses
volcanology	volcanoes
zoology	animals

1. _______________ is the science that serves to explain the relations between God and the world.

2. _______________ is the science that deals with the coloured bands into which a beam of light is split by means of a prism.

3. _______________ is the branch of religion that deals with symbolic representation.

7. _______________ is the branch of science that deals with the development of an organism.

9. _______________ is the study of the varieties, grounds, and validity of knowledge.

10. _______________ is the organized body of knowledge dealing with the nature, attributes, and governance of God.