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Glite Dictionary
thanatology

thanatology

9.9
The study of death and how people cope with it
  • noun
  • /ˌθænəˈtɑlədʒi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tanatología
  • The conference focused on thanatology, bringing together experts to discuss the psychological aspects of dying.

Examples

  • Many universities now include thanatology in their academic programs, reflecting the growing interest in the study of death.

  • Edwin Shneidman is Professor of Thanatology Emeritus at UCLA.

    Academic text (1998)

  • She decided to pursue a career in thanatology to better understand the emotional impacts of loss and grief.

How Academic

thanatology
  • Specialized
9.9

Surface Forms

thanatology singular
thanatologies plural

Morphology

thanatology = thanato + logy

This is a classical formation with specialized combining forms, so most B1 learners will not be able to infer the meaning from familiar English words.

Etymology

The word thanatology comes from the Greek word thanatos meaning 'death' and the ending -logy meaning 'study', the same part you see in biology and psychology. So, thanatology is the study of death and the ways people and society deal with it.