Main Entry:

pe·nol·o·gy

Pronunciation:

\pi-ˈnä-lə-jē\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Greek poinē penalty + English -logy — more at pain

Date:

1838

: a branch of criminology dealing with prison management and the treatment of offenders

— pe·no·log·i·cal \ˌpē-nə-ˈlä-ji-kəl\ adjective

— pe·nol·o·gist \pi-ˈnä-lə-jist\ noun