Enological

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the study of wine and wine-making practices, the art and science of fermentation processes, or the characteristics and qualities of wines produced
2. Connected to the discipline focused on the processes involved in the production and quality assessment of wine, including its flavors and aging
3. Pertaining to the scientific and artistic aspects of wine production and tasting, encompassing the methods of fermentation, flavor development, and evaluation of wine attributes

Etymology: The core of the word is Greek "oinos", meaning wine. It is a close cousin of Latin "vinum", which gave English "wine", so the Greek and Latin branches of the family kept the same root in different forms. The ending comes from Greek "-logia", meaning study or discourse, the same element found in "biology" and "geology". The spelling "enology" is the American form of "oenology", which keeps the Greek vowel more visibly. The difference is part of a wider transatlantic split in classical-derived words, as in "anaesthesia" and "anesthesia". The adjective adds the suffix "-ic", meaning "pertaining to", to the noun, so the whole word means "pertaining to the study of wine."