petrology

[pi-trol-uh-jee]

noun

1. the scientific study of rocks, including petrography and petrogenesis.

petrology

/ ˌpɛtrəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, pɛˈtrɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. petrol. the study of the composition, origin, structure, and formation of rocks

petrology

1. The scientific study of the origin, composition, and structure of rocks.

Other Word Forms

• petrological adjective
• petrologically adverb
• petrologist noun
• petrologic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of petrology¹

First recorded in 1805–15; petro- ¹ + -logy

Example Sentences

“But the petrology is interesting and special regardless,” she says.

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The mining, the petrology, the archaeology — the artistically gifted, straight-F student, trying to live up to his brilliant, academic, domineering father.

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It “taught us about hot spot volcanism, about volcano seismology, geodesy, petrology, volcanic structure, hazard mitigation, gas geochemistry, and magmatic plumbing.”

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Chemists get in on the mystery, petrology is born, and the true secret behind melted earth is discovered.

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Metamorphic petrology is no easy material for popular science.

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