Cetology
[see-TA-lə-gee]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, 19th century
1.
The branch of zoology that deals with whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
Examples of Cetology in a sentence
"The marine biologist was also an expert in the field of cetology."
"Captain Ahab reviewed his cetology notes to learn more about the white whale he pursued."
About Cetology
The Latin word for whale, "cetus," joins with "-ology," the Latin suffix for "the study of a subject." Many other words are paired with "-ology" — biology (the study of life), psychology (the study of how people think), and entomology (the study of insects).
Did you Know?
While cetology is the study of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, a person who has committed to studying these same animals is a cetologist. It is fair to say that a cetologist will have a deep love and interest in whales — childhood fans of "Free Willy," might have considered becoming such a scientist.
