scatology

[skuh-tol-uh-jee]

noun

1. the study of or preoccupation with excrement or obscenity.

2. obscenity, especially words or humor referring to excrement.

3. the study of fossil excrement.

scatology

/ skæˈtɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the scientific study of excrement, esp in medicine for diagnostic purposes, and in palaeontology of fossilized excrement

2. obscenity or preoccupation with obscenity, esp in the form of references to excrement

Other Word Forms

• scatologist noun
• scatological adjective
• scatologic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of scatology¹

First recorded in 1875–80; scato- + -logy

Example Sentences

Of course, this is all dangerous bovine scatology.

Read more on Salon

His mind swirled with scatology and characters from pulp fiction and the cinema.

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But if you want some fun in your science—and don’t mind a bit of scatology—read on!

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Yes, there’s a bit of danger and a hint of scatology, but the Greeks are far more ribald.

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I ran this little poetry program in my head again and again, turning out dozens of nonsense limericks, complete with the requisite little-kid scatology.

Read more on The New Yorker