cetology

[ see-tol-uh-jee ]

noun

1. the branch of zoology dealing with whales and dolphins.

cetology

/ siːˈtɒlədʒɪ; ˌsiːtəˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

noun

1. the branch of zoology concerned with the study of whales (cetaceans)

Derived Forms

• ceˈtologist, noun
• cetological, adjective

Other Words From

• ce·to·log·i·cal [seet-l-, oj, -i-k, uh, l], adjective
• ce·tolo·gist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cetology¹

First recorded in 1850–55; cet- + -o- + -logy

Word History and Origins

Origin of cetology¹

C19: from Latin cētus whale

Example Sentences

Tadamichi Morisaka, a cetology professor at Japan's Mie University, said the dorsal fin of a dolphin spotted biting a man's fingers at a beach in Tsuruga - a port city next to Mihama - matched those of a 2.5m long dolphin observed off the coast of Fukui province last year.

From BBC

“We have a new view of this phenomenon,” he said, adding that overall the new research shows that despite bottlenose dolphins being referred to as the “white rat” of cetology, there’s still a lot about these marine mammals that scientists don’t know.

From Salon

Bigg’s killer whales — once dubbed “transient” killer whales because they were seen so infrequently — are now a flourishing 370-whale population, according to Bay Cetology.

From Seattle Times

In recent years we’ve seen an explosion in new opportunities, in fields such as cetology, linguistics and space archaeology.

From Nature

What emerges is a brilliant film both for Melville enthusiasts and for those who have tried to read the book and lost their way in the labyrinth of philosophic asides, historical recollections, cetology and archaicisms.

From Time Magazine Archive