paleontology
Americannoun
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the science of the forms of life existing in former geologic periods, as represented by their fossils.
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a treatise on paleontology.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of paleontology
From the French word paléontologie, dating back to 1830–40; see origin at paleo-, ontology
Explanation
That five-year-old dinosaur expert who can tell a trilobite from a pterodactyl and tell you which thrived during the Jurassic period? She’s a budding paleontology expert. Scientific language aims at clarity, and scientists generally speak to each other in Greek and Latin. The commonly used suffix -ology comes from Greek, and it means "the study of." The prefix paleo means "old." So, paleontology is the study of that which is old — really, really old. The word paleontology entered the English language in the 19th century, just as scientists were making a systematic effort to analyze fossil records.
Vocabulary lists containing paleontology
Tyrannosaurus Lex(icon)
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Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science: Geology
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The findings were published April 22 in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
From Science Daily • Apr. 27, 2026
The project reflects two years of collaboration between Schwimmer and Triebold Paleontology Inc., a company known for creating detailed fossil skeleton models for museums and institutions worldwide.
From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026
Flinders researcher Dr. Brian Choo collaborated with scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing.
From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2026
The study appears in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026
A pair of soldiers on the roof of the Gallery of Paleontology peer over the gardens with binoculars.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
