paleontology
Americannoun
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paleontologies
plural
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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.
Those displays helped turn Diplodocus into an international symbol of paleontology and one of the most familiar dinosaurs in popular culture.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
Someone in the comments section tagged Thompson, who also works as a paleontology adviser for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
But funding for paleontology remains limited and the research community small, while expeditions into remote areas can be costly.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
Professional paleontology nerd Riley Black gives us her delightfully detailed assessment.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
Similar ones apply to other historical subjects whose place among the natural sciences is nevertheless secure, including astronomy, climatology, ecology, evolutionary biology, geology, and paleontology.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
