paleontology
Americannoun
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the science of the forms of life existing in former geologic periods, as represented by their fossils.
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a treatise on paleontology.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of paleontology
From the French word paléontologie, dating back to 1830–40; see origin at paleo-, ontology
Explanation
That five-year-old dinosaur expert who can tell a trilobite from a pterodactyl and tell you which thrived during the Jurassic period? She’s a budding paleontology expert. Scientific language aims at clarity, and scientists generally speak to each other in Greek and Latin. The commonly used suffix -ology comes from Greek, and it means "the study of." The prefix paleo means "old." So, paleontology is the study of that which is old — really, really old. The word paleontology entered the English language in the 19th century, just as scientists were making a systematic effort to analyze fossil records.
Vocabulary lists containing paleontology
Tyrannosaurus Lex(icon)
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Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science: Geology
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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.
Afterwards, I decided I really want to learn about the geology of L.A., and I found an interest in paleontology, too.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
With the combination of physics, paleontology, and advanced imaging technologies, researchers are beginning to uncover details about dinosaur biology that were once thought impossible to study.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 26, 2026
Their study, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology in July 2020, noted that the name honored "his tireless work on the Late Cretaceous paleontology of the Southeast and Eastern Seaboard, USA."
From Science Daily ● Apr. 15, 2026
In the subreddit, the latest advancements in paleontology appear alongside divided reactions to dinosaur media, like Netflix’s recent Morgan Freeman-narrated docuseries, “The Dinosaurs.”
From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2026
The person at the head of the table was the greatest star of the young science of paleontology.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
