hagiology

American  

[hag-ee-ol-uh-jee, hey-jee-] / ˌhæg iˈɒl ə dʒi, ˌheɪ dʒi- /

noun

plural

hagiologies

1. the branch of literature dealing with the lives and legends of the saints.

2. a biography or narrative of a saint or saints.

3. a collection of such biographies or narratives.

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hagiology British  

/ ˌhæɡɪˈɒlədʒɪ, ˌhæɡɪəˈlɒdʒɪk /

noun

1. literature concerned with the lives and legends of saints

2. 1. a biography of a saint

   2. a collection of such biographies

3. an authoritative canon of saints

4. a history of sacred writings

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Other Word Forms

• hagiologic adjective
• hagiological adjective
• hagiologist noun

Etymology

Origin of hagiology

First recorded in 1800–10; hagio- + -logy

Example Sentences

The men who invented the country 200 years ago have long since been enshrouded by the myths of textbooks and the mists of hagiology.

From Time Magazine Archive

Lenin's place in the Soviet hagiology, however, was not equally secure; he was becoming a mere peg on which to hang verbal votive offerings to Russian nationalism and to Stalin.

From Time Magazine Archive

And then at age 44, a fatal car crash, after which the rest is the kind of pop hagiology that America reserves for its culture heroes.

From Time Magazine Archive

Biographer Maynard contributes nothing essentially new, is content in his popularization merely to introduce to modern Americans cue of the most unexpected personalities in Catholic hagiology.

From Time Magazine Archive

There is no doubt that the saints of Irish origin supply by far the more important portion of our hagiology.

From The Book-Hunter A New Edition, with a Memoir of the Author by Burton, John Hill