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geological

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 21:17. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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