Anthropology

How to spell anthropology

12 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce anthropology

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does anthropology mean?

1. nounThe scientific study of humankind, including human societies, cultures, biology, and development.

Anthropology in a sentence

• She earned her degree in anthropology before joining the museum.

• The lecture on cultural anthropology examined kinship across rural communities.

Where does anthropology come from?

Language of origin: Greek

The word comes from two Greek elements: anthropos, meaning 'human being' or 'man', and logia, meaning 'study' or 'discourse', itself from logos, meaning 'word' or 'reason'. The combined Greek form anthropologia originally referred broadly to talking or treating of human beings. It passed into learned use through Latin and entered English in the late 1500s, at first carrying senses linked to the study of human nature and even of the soul. By the 1800s it had settled into its modern academic meaning: the systematic study of humankind, including our origins, societies, cultures, and physical development. The same anthropos root still anchors familiar relatives such as 'philanthropy' (love of humankind) and 'misanthrope' (one who dislikes people), and remembering that shared 'anthropo' beginning is the key to spelling the awkward middle of the word.

How the word is built

• anthropo- (from Greek anthropos: human being)
• -logy (from Greek logia: study, discourse)