herpetology

[hur-pi-tol-uh-jee]

noun

1. the branch of zoology dealing with reptiles and amphibians.

herpetology

/ ˌhɜːpɪtəˈlɒdʒɪk, ˌhɜːpɪˈtɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the study of reptiles and amphibians

herpetology

1. The scientific study of reptiles and amphibians.

Other Word Forms

• herpetologist noun
• herpetologic adjective
• herpetologically adverb
• herpetological adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of herpetology¹

1815–25; < Greek herpetó ( n ) a creeping thing (Compare hérpein to creep) + -logy; serpent

Word History and Origins

Origin of herpetology¹

C19: from Greek herpeton creeping animal, from herpein to creep

Example Sentences

“It’s a species that wants to be seen,” said Greg Pauly, the head of herpetology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Rachel Nuwer and Chang W. Lee each joined a nighttime salamander hunt in Kyoto, Japan, and visited a herpetology lab at Kyoto University while reporting this article.

Read more on New York Times

But their herpetology hunt turned into a fungus find.

Read more on New York Times

“It’s a remarkably weird thing,” said David Blackburn, the curator of herpetology at the Florida Museum and author of the study.

Read more on New York Times

The May 2022 discovery and naming of the snake were disclosed in a study published Tuesday in Salamandra, a German journal of herpetology, the study of snakes.

Read more on Washington Times