acanthology

[ak-uh n-thol-uh-jee]

noun Biology.

the study of spines, as in sea urchins or certain spiny-headed worms, particularly as they relate to taxonomic classification.

Origin of acanthology

acantho- + -logy

Related formsa·can·tho·log·i·cal

[uh-kan-thuh-loj-i-kuh l] /əˌkæn θəˈlɒdʒ ɪ kəl/, adjectiveac·an·thol·o·gist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018