hierology

[ hahy-uh-rol-uh-jee, hahy-rol- ]

/ ˌhaɪ əˈrɒl ə dʒi, haɪˈrɒl- /

noun

literature or learning regarding sacred things.

hagiological literature or learning.

Nearby words

hieroglyphist, hieroglyphology, hierogram, hierogrammat, hierolatry, hierology, hieromonk, hieron, hieronymic, hieronymite, hieronymus

Origin of hierology

First recorded in 1830–40; hiero- + -logy

Related forms

hi·er·o·log·ic

[hahy-er-uh-loj-ik, hahy-ruh-] /ˌhaɪ ər əˈlɒdʒ ɪk, ˌhaɪ rə-/, hi·er·o·log·i·cal, adjectivehi·er·ol·o·gist, noun

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

Examples from the Web for hierology

Hierology, hī-ėr-ol′o-ji, n. the science of sacred matters, esp.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)|Various
The best critical writers on ancient history have agreed not to throw away the cosmogony and the hierology of Greece.
The Book-Hunter|John Hill Burton
In the Nichiren hierology, it is as though the symbolical figures in the Book of Revelation had been deified and worshipped.
The Religions of Japan|William Elliot Griffis

British Dictionary definitions for hierology

hierology

/ (ˌhaɪəˈrɒlədʒɪ) /

noun plural -gies

sacred literature

a biography of a saint

Derived Forms

hierologic (ˌhaɪərəˈlɒdʒɪk) or hierological, adjectivehierologist, noun

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