geratology

[ jer-uh-tol-uh-jee ]

/ ˌdʒɛr əˈtɒl ə dʒi /

noun Biology.

the study of the diminution or decline of life, as in an individual animal or a species approaching extinction.

Nearby words

geraniol, geranium, geranium family, gerar, gerard, geratology, gerbera, gerbert, gerbil, gerd, gerent

Origin of geratology

1880–85; gerat- (erroneously taken as the stem of Greek gêras old age) + -o- + -logy

Related forms

ger·a·to·log·ic

[jer-uh-tl-oj-ik] /ˌdʒɛr ə tlˈɒdʒ ɪk/, ger·a·tol·o·gous

[jer-uh-tol-uh-guh s] /ˌdʒɛr əˈtɒl ə gəs/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for geratology

Geratology, jer-at-ol′o-ji, n. the science of the phenomena of decadence.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for geratology

geratology

/ (ˌdʒɛrəˈtɒlədʒɪ) /

noun

the branch of medicine concerned with the elderly and the phenomena associated with ageing; geriatrics and gerontology

Derived Forms

geratological (ˌdʒɛrətəˈlɒdʒɪkəl), adjectivegeratologist, noun

Word Origin for geratology

C19: from gerato-, from Greek gēras old age + -logy

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