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petrology

[pi-trol-uh-jee]
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noun
  1. the scientific study of rocks, including petrography and petrogenesis.

Origin of petrology

First recorded in 1805–15; petro-1 + -logy
Related formspet·ro·log·ic [pe-truh-loj-ik] /ˌpɛ trəˈlɒdʒ ɪk/, pet·ro·log·i·cal, adjectivepet·ro·log·i·cal·ly, adverbpe·trol·o·gist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for petrologist

Historical Examples

  • From a climber's rather than a petrologist's point of view, volcanic rocks are liable to seem both very hard and very brittle.

    The Alps

    Martin Conway

British Dictionary definitions for petrologist

petrology

noun plural -gies
  1. the study of the composition, origin, structure, and formation of rocksAbbreviation: petrol
Derived Formspetrological (ˌpɛtrəˈlɒdʒɪkəl), adjectivepetrologically, adverbpetrologist, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for petrologist

petrology

n.

1811 (erroneously as petralogy), from petro- (1) "rock" + -ology.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
petrologist in Science

petrology

[pə-trŏl′ə-jē]
  1. The scientific study of the origin, composition, and structure of rocks.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.