philology
UK: fɪˈlɒlədʒi | US: fɪˈlɑːlədʒi
n. the study of language, especially its historical development, structure, and relationship to culture.
n. (archaic) literary or classical scholarship.
philology = philo<love> + logy<study>
- philo: From Greek philos (φίλος), meaning "loving" or "fond of."
- logy: From Greek -logia (-λογία), meaning "study of" or "discourse."
Etymology Origin:
The word philology traces back to Greek philologia (φιλολογία), combining philos (love) and logos (word, reason). Originally, it referred to a love of learning and literature, later narrowing to the scientific study of language and texts. The term reflects the Renaissance revival of classical scholarship, where scholars sought to reconstruct ancient languages and cultures through rigorous analysis.
She pursued a degree in philology to study the evolution of Indo-European languages.
Early philology often overlapped with philosophy and theology.
His philology research focused on Old English manuscripts.
Modern philology uses computational tools to analyze linguistic patterns.
The professor’s philology lecture revealed surprising connections between Sanskrit and Latin.