What are –ologies? They’re words that mean “the study of” — and they’re simply words that end in the suffix –ology. For the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), becoming familiar with the most common –ologies is critical.

It’s pretty tough to get through high school or college without encountering an “-ology” or two: Biology, Psychology, Sociology, etc. For example, astrology is the study of the stars and planets. The following list has examples of common –ology words; each word means “the study of” the word that follows it.

  • Alology: Algae

  • Anthropology: Humans

  • Archaeology: Past human activity

  • Axiology: Values

  • Bacteriology: Bacteria

  • Biology: Life

  • Cardiology: Heart

  • Cosmology: Origin and laws of the universe

  • Cryptology: Codes

  • Cytology: Cells

  • Deontology: Ethics

  • Enology: Wine

  • Entomology: Insects

  • Epidemiology: Disease

  • Epistemology: Knowledge

  • Eschatology: End of time

  • Ethology: Animal behavior

  • Etiology: Causation and origination

  • Geology: Earth

  • Gerontology: Aging

  • Hagiology: Saints

  • Herpetology: Amphibians and reptiles

  • Histology: Tissues of plants and animals

  • Horology: Measuring time

  • Ichthyology: Fish

  • Kinesiology: Human movement

  • Limnology: Fresh inland water

  • Mammalogy: Mammals

  • Morphology: Form of organisms

  • Mycology: Fungi

  • Numismatology: Currency

  • Oncology: Tumors

  • Ontology: Reality

  • Ophthalmology: Eye

  • Ornithology: Birds

  • Paleontology: Fossils

  • Pathology: Diseases

  • Philology: Language

  • Physiology: Functions of organisms

  • Psychology: Mental functions and behaviors

  • Teleology: Final causes

  • Thanatology: Dying and death

  • Virology: Viruses

  • Zoology: Animals

About This Article

This article is from the book:

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Vince Kotchian is a full-time standardized test tutor specializing in the MAT, SSAT, ISEE, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. He teaches a GRE prep course at the University of California, San Diego, and has an extensive understanding of analogies and the MAT.

Edwin Kotchian is a MAT tutor and freelance writer who has contributed to a variety of test-prep material.

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