Onomatologies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The study or classification of names and their origins or meanings within a particular field of knowledge
2. The examination of terms and nomenclature used in specific disciplines, focusing on their formation and significance
3. A scholarly analysis of the etymology and usage of words that identify or describe concepts in various contexts

Etymology: "Onomatologies" is the plural of "onomatology," a compound built from Ancient Greek "ónoma" (name), in its combining form "onomato-," and "-logia" (study of, from "lógos," word or reason). The result is a term for the scientific study of names and naming, and the "-logy" ending follows the same pattern as "biology" or "geology." The pattern is worth noticing. Ancient Greek "onomatologia" existed in a narrow sense of listing names, but the English word was formed from classical parts by English writers, so the coinage is modern rather than a survival from antiquity. The suffix passed into English through Latin "-logia" and Old French "-logie," and the English form "-logy" became a productive ending for naming fields of study. Because the word is a plain English compound from Greek parts, its history is short and transparent: each component carries its meaning straight into the whole, so "onomatologies" simply denotes several such studies or several bodies of work on naming.