• selenology •
Pronunciation: sel-ê-nah-lê-jee • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The scientific study of the moon, its movements, composition, development, and influence on Earth; the geology of the moon, as distinct from selenography.
Notes: Selenography is the study and description of the moon's surface features. While it is far more often used, it is considered a subdivision of today's Good Word. It comes with all the accoutrements of any word ending in -ology: the adjective is selenological and someone pursuing selenology is a selenologist.
In Play: This word refers to serious scientific study of the moon: "Selenology has contributed nothing to our understanding of the moon's influence on the rise of criminal activity during the full moon." However, there are many ways we can use it in everyday speech: "You don't have to be a selenologist (or even a selenographer) to understand the connection between a full moon and romantic moods."
Word History: Today's Good Word was created from Greek selene "moon" + o + -logia, a combining form based on logos "account, reckoning", the noun from legein "to speak". Selena was originally a compound noun made from the mass noun selas "brilliance" + enos "old moon". Selas seems to have come from PIE suel-/suol- "to burn, heat, bright", for we find its remains in Lithuanian zvilgus "glittery", Latvian svelt "to glow", English sweat and swelter, and Dutch zwoel "sultry". Enos "old moon" comes from seno- "old", found in Sanskrit sana "old", Latin senex "old" (whence senior "older"), Armenian hin "old", Lithuanian senas "old", Irish sean "old", and Breton and Welsh hen "old". (Now let's give Gary Cook an e-ovation for finding today's hopefully up and coming Good Word and bringing it to our attention.)
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