cryptozoology

American  

[krip-toh-zoh-ol-uh-jee] / ˌkrɪp toʊ zoʊˈɒl ə dʒi /

noun

1. the study of evidence tending to substantiate the existence of, or the search for, creatures whose reported existence is unproved, as the Abominable Snowman or the Loch Ness monster.

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cryptozoology British  

/ -zuː-, ˌkrɪptəʊzəʊˈɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the study of creatures, such as the Loch Ness monster, whose existence has not been scientifically proved

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cryptozoological
  adjective
• cryptozoologist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of cryptozoology

crypto- + zoology

Explanation

If you’re an expert in cryptozoology, you probably have a whole collection of photos that people claim to have taken of the Yeti or the Loch Ness Monster. You may even have taken some yourself while on vacation in Nepal or Scotland! Cryptozoology comes from crypto-, meaning "hidden or secret," and zoology, "the study of animals." An expert in cryptozoology is a cryptozoologist. One creature investigated by cryptozoologists is the Sasquatch, a shaggy, humanlike creature supposedly seen in the forests of Canada and the United States. You can find famous photos of it, or of other such creatures, online. Two more words made with crypto- are cryptography, the study of codes or secret writing, and cryptocurrency, money that is "hidden" because it is digital only.

Example Sentences

James Newton, a university disability advisor by day, is the founder of The London Cryptozoology Club and offers his advice to any budding cryptozoologists.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2016

When he reveals both sketches to each woman, everyone has feelings, because Sketches A, based on self-description, look like out-takes from the Napoleon Dynamite Book of Cryptozoology.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2013

Cryptozoology enthusiasts make a lot of claims about other cryptids that turned out to be real, but it’s not always clear that the real creatures and the ones from the legends are the same.

From Slate • May 23, 2012

Cryptozoology: time to come in from the cold?

From Scientific American • Jul. 20, 2011

Here is the latest crop of posts, if you missed them over the past day or so: Jennifer Ouellette: Physicists Embrace the Splatter Master Darren Naish: Cryptozoology at the Zoological Society of London.

From Scientific American • Jul. 20, 2011