selenology

American  

[sel-uh-nol-uh-jee] / ˌsɛl əˈnɒl ə dʒi /

noun

1. the branch of astronomy that deals with the nature and origin of the physical features of the moon.

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selenology British  

/ ˌsiːlɪˈnɒlədʒɪ, sɪˌliːnəʊˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

noun

1. the branch of astronomy concerned with the moon, its physical characteristics, nature, origin, etc

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Other Word Forms

• selenological adjective
• selenologist noun

Etymology

Origin of selenology

First recorded in 1815–25; seleno- + -logy

Example Sentences

So the moon has never acquired either an ocean or atmosphere, and this view is acceptable to geologists who have studied the sheer lunar surface, Shaler of Harvard among the first, and laid the foundations for a separate science of selenology.

From Project Gutenberg

Its progress has been marked by the successive publication of five instalments of a splendid atlas, on a scale of about eight feet to the lunar diameter, accompanied by theoretical dissertations, designed to establish a science of "selenology."

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• astrophysics