DictionaryRoot: -logia
Greek
-logia
speaking about; an account or study of
Forms
- -logia
- -logy — The ending shortened in English.
- -ology — The linking o of many Greek compounds became associated with the ending.
Origin
Built in Greek from the family of logos, “word, account, reasoning.”
Note
The familiar “study of” meaning grew from the broader idea of speaking or giving an account of something.
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noun
physiology
fiz-ee-AH-luh-jee/ˌfɪziˈɑːlədʒi/
The ways living organisms and their parts function.
Etymology
The pieces originally meant inquiry into nature broadly. That scope narrowed to the normal functioning of living things, giving the modern study of how bodies and their parts work.