Nephology

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The scientific study of clouds, their formation, properties, and behavior in the atmosphere
2. The branch of meteorology concerned with observing and analyzing clouds and their characteristics
3. The discipline that examines clouds systematically, including their structure, development, and effects on weather

Etymology: Nephology is the study of clouds, built from two Greek elements: "nephos", meaning cloud, and the familiar "-logy", from "logos", meaning word, discourse or study. The pattern is the same as in "geology" or "meteorology", and the term was formed by adding the cloud element to a standard scientific suffix. Because it is a modern coinage of this kind, it reads as a technical label rather than an ancient word, and its meaning stays close to its parts.

Synonyms: nephelology