sociology

so·ci·ol·o·gy

noun \ˌsō-sē-ˈä-lə-jē, ˌsō-shē-\

Definition of SOCIOLOGY

1

: the science of society, social institutions, and social relationships; specifically : the systematic study of the development, structure, interaction, and collective behavior of organized groups of human beings

2

: the scientific analysis of a social institution as a functioning whole and as it relates to the rest of society

3

: synecology

— so·ci·ol·o·gist \-jist\ noun

Origin of SOCIOLOGY

French sociologie, from socio- + -logie -logy

First Known Use: 1843

Other Sociology Terms

bourgeois, ethos, eugenics, exurb, incommunicado, intelligentsia, megalopolis, metrosexual, mores, subculture

Rhymes with SOCIOLOGY

anthropology, archaeology, cardiology, climatology, cosmetology, criminology, dermatology, Egyptology, entomology, eschatology, etiology, etymology, futurology, genealogy, gerontology, glaciology, gynecology, hematology, herpetology, ideology, immunology, kremlinology, laryngology, lexicology, Mariology, martyrology, methodology, mineralogy, musicology, numerology, oceanology, ophthalmology, ornithology, pharmacology, phraseology, physiology, primatology, radiology, reflexology, rheumatology, semiology, terminology, thanatology, toxicology, urbanology, volcanology, vulcanology

so·ci·ol·o·gy

noun \ˌsō-sē-ˈäl-ə-jē, ˌsō-shē-\   (Medical Dictionary)

plural so·ci·ol·o·gies

Medical Definition of SOCIOLOGY

: the science of society, social institutions, and social relationships; specifically : the systematic study of the development, structure, interaction, and collective behavior of organized groups of human beings

sociology

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Science of society, social institutions, and social relationships, and specifically the systematic study of the development, structure, interaction, and collective behaviour of organized human groups. It emerged at the end of the 19th century through the work of Émile Durkheim in France, Max Weber and Georg Simmel in Germany, and Robert E. Park and Albion Small in the U.S. Sociologists use observational techniques, surveys and interviews, statistical analysis, controlled experiments, and other methods to study subjects such as the family, ethnic relations, schooling, social status and class, bureaucracy, religious movements, deviance, the elderly, and social change.