Osteometry

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The discipline that deals with the precise measurement of bones as well as the analysis of skeletal features
2. A field dedicated to the quantification of various dimensions and characteristics of bones and their structures
3. The scientific practice of accurately measuring bones and studying their physical characteristics

Etymology: Osteometry is a compound built from two Greek-derived elements: "osteo-", from Greek "osteon", meaning "bone", and "-metry", from Greek "metron", meaning "measure". Put together, the word names the measurement of bones, most often skeletal remains, which is why it turns up in anthropology, archaeology and forensic science. The word is a modern technical coinage built from classical parts, not an ancient term. Greek speakers had "osteon" and "metron" as separate words, but nothing called "osteometry" existed in their vocabulary. Scientists assembled it in English by joining the two elements, a pattern that produced many similar terms such as "craniometry" and "odontometry" for measuring skulls and teeth.