archaeology

play

noun ar·chae·ol·o·gy \ ˌär-kē-ˈä-lə-jē \

variants: or archeology

Definition of archaeology

1 :the scientific study of material remains (such as fossil relics, artifacts, and monuments) of past human life and activities

2 :remains of the culture of a people :antiquities

the archaeology of the Incas

—

archaeological

play \ˌär-kē-ə-ˈlä-ji-kəl\ adjective

—

archaeologically

play \-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

—

archaeologist

play \ˌär-kē-ˈä-lə-jist\ noun

See archaeology defined for English-language learners

See archaeology defined for kids

Recent Examples of archaeology from the Web

Two years ago, writing for Bloomberg Businessweek in a similar feat of archaeology, Green spotted in the career of Steve Bannon, then merely a Trump supporter and the last heir to House Harkonnen, a genuine and rising threat to the democratic order.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "What's Behind Bannon?," 19 July 2017
It was foreseen in the planning for Linea C that there would be plenty of time set aside for archaeology ...

— ben wedeman, CNN, "A mini Pompeii? 1800-year-old ruins discovered in Rome metro excavation," 30 June 2017
Tracy Achonwa is a student at University College London (UCL), studying archaeology.

— grace timothy, Teen Vogue, "How University College London Students Are Protesting Rent Prices," 26 June 2017
What followed was a foray into experimental archaeology.

— mira abed, latimes.com, "Scientists make water bottles the old-fashioned way to see if they were toxic to early Californians," 24 June 2017
Gary Lock, emeritus professor of archaeology at Oxford, tells Horatio Clare at The Financial Times that the project is an attempt to get the public to recognize and protect the historic structures that are sprinkled around them.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Explore Ancient British Isles Hill Forts with a New Online Atlas," 24 June 2017
My mother and sisters have a serious interest in archaeology as well.

— kathi santora, baltimoresun.com, "Why you need to know... Dan Coates, creator of the Liriodendron ice house exhibit," 23 June 2017
Spend a week with UConn archaeologists exploring the world of field archaeology.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Windham Edition," 19 June 2017
Dewey works in anthropology and archaeology at Clatsop Community College and specializes in shipwrecks and told The Daily Astorian that the piece of wood is some type of old growth timber.

— lizzy acker, OregonLive.com, "Debris that could be from a 100-year-old shipwreck found on Oregon coast," 16 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'archaeology.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of archaeology

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1837

See Words from the same year

Other Archaeology Terms

Attic, Byzantine, Paleolithic, cairn, core, flint, horizon, neolithic, shard, stratum

ARCHAEOLOGY Defined for English Language Learners

archaeology

play

noun

Definition of archaeology for English Language Learners

: a science that deals with past human life and activities by studying the bones, tools, etc., of ancient people

ARCHAEOLOGY Defined for Kids

archaeology

noun ar·chae·ol·o·gy

variants: or archeology \ˌär-kē-ˈä-lə-jē\

Definition of archaeology for Students

:a science that deals with past human life and activities as shown by objects (as pottery, tools, and statues) left by ancient peoples

Learn More about archaeology

Spanish Central: Translation of archaeology Nglish: Translation of archaeology for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of archaeology for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about archaeology

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up archaeology? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

archaeology

Definition of archaeology

archaeological

archaeologically

archaeologist

Recent Examples of archaeology from the Web

Origin and Etymology of archaeology

Other Archaeology Terms

ARCHAEOLOGY Defined for English Language Learners

archaeology

Definition of archaeology for English Language Learners

ARCHAEOLOGY Defined for Kids

archaeology

Definition of archaeology for Students

Learn More about archaeology

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

anathematize

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

'Meat Sweats': The Competitive Eater's Worst Nightmare

'Diffuse' vs. 'Defuse'

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Let's Talk 'Tea'

Ask the Editors

Words of the Year: 1066

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Irregardless

Weird Plurals

Word Games

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Word Winder's CrossWinder

'Meat Sweats': The Competitive Eater's Worst Nightmare

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066

archaeology

Definition of archaeology

archaeological

archaeologically

archaeologist

People Are Reading

Recent Examples of archaeology from the Web

Origin and Etymology of archaeology

Other Archaeology Terms

ARCHAEOLOGY Defined for English Language Learners

archaeology

Definition of archaeology for English Language Learners

ARCHAEOLOGY Defined for Kids

archaeology

Definition of archaeology for Students

Learn More about archaeology

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'Meat Sweats': The Competitive Eater's Worst Nightmare

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066