herpetology
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- herpetologic adjective
- herpetological adjective
- herpetologically adverb
- herpetologist noun
Etymology
Origin of herpetology
1815–25; < Greek herpetó ( n ) a creeping thing (Compare hérpein to creep) + -logy; serpent
Explanation
Herpetology is the scientific study of reptiles and amphibians. If you're fascinated by frogs and crazy about crocodiles, you might want to learn more about herpetology. The field of zoology is divided into specialties for studying different types of animals. There's ornithology for birds, entomology for insects — and herpetology, which focuses on creeping and slithering animals like toads, salamanders, snakes, turtles, alligators, and newts. Herpetology comes from the Greek herpeton, "reptile," or literally "creeping thing," and its root, herpein, "to creep."
Vocabulary lists containing herpetology
2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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Animals (Zoology) - Middle School
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Animals (Zoology) - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"When you describe a species, you assign one specimen that bears the name of that species," said lead author Ana Motta, collection manager of herpetology at the Biodiversity Institute.
From Science Daily • Jan. 6, 2026
“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.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2025
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.
From Washington Times • Aug. 16, 2023
Jon Rold, supervisor of herpetology and entomology at the Houston Zoo, said it was a matter of luck that Mr. and Mrs. Pickles had bred successfully and that the eggs had been found in time.
From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2023
In the fourth grade he started a herpetology club, for anyone interested in toads, frogs, snakes, and various other amphibians and reptiles.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
