terminology
Americannoun
-
terminologies
plural
-
the system of terms belonging or peculiar to a science, art, or specialized subject; nomenclature.
the terminology of botany.
-
the science of terms, as in particular sciences or arts.
noun
-
the body of specialized words relating to a particular subject
-
the study of terms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of terminology
1795–1805; < Medieval Latin termin ( us ) term + -o- + -logy
Explanation
Terminology is vocabulary associated with a certain field of study, profession, or activity. Knowing the terminology is an important part of being able to work in a given profession. When your nuclear physicist friends start talking shop and it suddenly sounds like they are speaking a different language, they are probably using nuclear physics terminology. Education terminology includes "rubric," "lesson plan," "pop quiz," "term paper," "student engagement." Medical terminology includes "blood work," "CVC," "scalpel," "set." Lawyers sometimes use legal terminology such as "forthwith," "heretofore" and "the part of the first part" to intimidate people they might want to threaten to sue. It works.
Vocabulary lists containing terminology
Power Suffix: -ology
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Freak the Mighty
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "T"
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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.
See Examples For:
Her inadvertent gaffes with industry terminology might make her seem silly and out of her depth.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
The petition describes it as "medical misogyny", adding: "Women deserve terminology that respects them."
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
MAL was one of four blood group systems ratified during the period covered by the organization's 2026 terminology report, alongside ER, CD36 and ATP11C.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
Novig says it isn’t worried about the terminology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
"I could tell you all the medical terminology," she says.
From "Freak The Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick
“For the human transformation, we don’t need those terminologies — we have exact years,” said Dr. Finney, whose committee would be the last to vote on the working group’s proposal if it gets that far.
From New York Times ● Dec. 17, 2022
Or a long series of practice reps to better understand new systems and terminologies.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2022
He also revealed that his stage name came from "little terminologies" he developed with friends in the 1990s.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2022
“They’ll use any platform available, and they will adjust their methods to evade detection, like switching terminologies and using code words.”
From National Geographic ● Dec. 18, 2020
Ohmae’s company even has contracts with more than seventy thousand housewives, some of them specialists in medical or legal terminologies, to do data-entry work at home.
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
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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.
