Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

seismology

[sahyz-mol-uh-jee, sahys-]
See more synonyms for seismology on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the science or study of earthquakes and their phenomena.
Show More

Origin of seismology

First recorded in 1855–60; seismo- + -logy
Also called seismography.
Related formsseis·mo·log·ic [sahyz-muh-loj-ik, sahys-] /ˌsaɪz məˈlɒdʒ ɪk, ˌsaɪs-/, seis·mo·log·i·cal, adjectiveseis·mo·log·i·cal·ly, adverbseis·mol·o·gist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for seismology

Historical Examples

  • Seismology, the science of earthquakes, is by no means void of interest.

    The Lost Ten Tribes, and 1882

    Joseph Wild

  • Witness what they have done in seismology, botany, and medicine.

  • It will be most convenient to treat of Seismology first in order.

  • Such, briefly and imperfectly sketched, is the existing state of Seismology.

  • The investigation of earthquakes, seismology, has become in the present day an independent subject of scientific interest.

British Dictionary definitions for seismology

seismology

noun
  1. the branch of geology concerned with the study of earthquakes and seismic waves
Show More
Derived Formsseismologic (ˌsaɪzməˈlɒdʒɪk) or seismological, adjectiveseismologically, adverbseismologist, 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

Word Origin and History for seismology

n.

1852, from seismo- + -logy. Related: Seismological (1850).

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
seismology in Science

seismology

[sīz-mŏl′ə-jē]
  1. The scientific study of earthquakes and of the internal structure of the Earth. It includes the study of the origin, geographic distribution, effects, and possible prediction of earthquakes.
Show More
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
seismology in Culture

seismology

[(seyez-mol-uh-jee)]

The branch of science devoted to the study of seismic waves and the information they provide about the structure of the interior of the Earth.

Show More

Note

Our knowledge of the properties of the crust, the mantle, and the core comes from this field.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.