cryptozoology

[krip-toh-zoh-ol-uh-jee]

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.

cryptozoology

/ -zuː-, ˌkrɪptəʊzəʊˈɒlədʒɪ /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• cryptozoologist noun
• cryptozoological adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cryptozoology¹

crypto- + zoology

Example Sentences

The word “cryptozoology” has an aura of scientific rigor, evoking decoded gene sequences and immaculately preserved fossils.

Read more on New York Times

“New species of smaller organisms are found all the time, and most of the people I meet who are into cryptozoology seem OK,” Shermer told Barcott.

Read more on Seattle Times

“I think it fits squarely into the cryptozoology category, but maybe a little more reasonable than a lake monster.”

Read more on Washington Times

“Sideshow stuff, cryptozoology stuff, anything that might fit well in the Addams Family house.”

Read more on The New Yorker

It became a mainstream idea, publicised and promoted by ‘father of cryptozoology’ Bernard Heuvelmans and his followers from the 1950s onwards.

Read more on Scientific American