archaeology

noun

ar·​chae·​ol·​o·​gy ˌär-kē-ˈä-lə-jē 

variants or archeology

1

: the scientific study of material remains (such as tools, pottery, jewelry, stone walls, and monuments) of past human life and activities

2

: remains of the culture of a people : antiquities

the archaeology of the Incas

archaeological

ˌär-kē-ə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

adjective

archaeologically

ˌär-kē-ə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

archaeologist

ˌär-kē-ˈä-lə-jist 

noun

Examples of archaeology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Wild writes that Burroughs had a longstanding interest in archaeology and anthropology, and particularly in hieroglyphics. — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 21 July 2026

Corey Malcom, director of archaeology at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, told WLRN. — Amara Evering, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026

Established in 2006, the Sharjah Museums Authority manages 16 cultural institutions related to Islamic art, culture, archaeology, science, and civilization. — News Desk, Artforum, 9 July 2026

Debugging becomes an archaeology of code that is months old, conducted by the engineers who reviewed it. — Kevin Cushnie, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

French archéologie, from Late Latin archaeologia antiquarian lore, from Greek archaiologia, from archaio- + -logia -logy

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing archaeology

• industrial archaeology

Rhymes for archaeology

• aetiology
• anthropology
• archeology
• audiology
• cardiology
• climatology
• cohomology
• cosmetology
• criminology
• demonology
• dermatology
• egyptology

Kids Definition

archaeology

noun

ar·​chae·​ol·​o·​gy

variants or archeology

ˌär-kē-ˈäl-ə-jē 

: the science that deals with past human life as shown by fossil relics and the monuments and tools left by ancient peoples

archaeological

-kē-ə-ˈläj-i-kəl 

adjective

archaeologist

-kē-ˈäl-ə-jəst 

noun