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geological

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Etymology and origin of the English word geological

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
before 1723, H. Rowlands, Idea Agriculturæ
Ultimate origin
New Latin geologia
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English geology
English geological

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌd͡ʒiːəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkəl/[1]
  • US: /ˌd͡ʒiəˈlɑd͡ʒɪkəl/[1]

Etymology

It is from English geology + -ical.[2][3][4] Because its first record is slightly earlier than that of the noun, the OED derives it from New Latin geologia with the English suffix.[5] That Latin word was formed from Ancient Greek γῆ (gê, “earth”) and -λογία (-logía);[3][2] in the 14th century, in Richard de Bury, it meant the study of earthly things, that is law, as against the sciences that dealt with the works of God.[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Relating to geology or to the rocks and processes it studies: before 1723, in Henry Rowlands's Idea Agriculturæ (printed 1764).[5] Etymonline dates it to 1791,[2] Barnhart to 1795[3] and the Shorter Oxford to the late 18th century.[4]

Semantic evolution

The adjective followed the noun's meaning: geology first named the science of the earth as a whole (1731–84) and only from 1788 the study of its rocks and their history.[5] From 1831 geological could describe a person who studies geology,[5] and in 1844 it was first extended to the moon and other planets.[5] Fixed terms include geological map, geological survey and geological time.[4]

Timeline

  • before 1723 – relating to geology (Rowlands).[5]
  • 1791 – Etymonline's date.[2]
  • 1795 – Barnhart's date.[3]
  • 1831 – of a person, studying geology.[5]
  • 1844 – of the moon, Mars and other bodies.[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Relating to geology.
  2. Relating to the rocks, structure and history of the earth or of a region: the geological history of the Pennines.
  3. Relating to the similar features of the moon or a planet.
  4. Of a person: studying or interested in geology.

Word family

  • nongeological
  • pregeological
  • ungeological
  • geologically

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
Cite this entry

“Geological.” Etymologically, 22 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/geological. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·