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archaeology

noun
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ar·​chae·​ol·​o·​gy | \ ˌär-kē-ˈä-lə-jē How to pronounce archaeology (audio) \
variants: or archeology

Definition of archaeology

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
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Other Words from archaeology

archaeological \ ˌär-​kē-​ə-​ˈlä-​ji-​kəl How to pronounce archaeological (audio) \ adjective
archaeologically \ ˌär-​kē-​ə-​ˈlä-​ji-​k(ə-​)lē How to pronounce archaeologically (audio) \ adverb
archaeologist \ ˌär-​kē-​ˈä-​lə-​jist How to pronounce archaeologist (audio) \ noun

Examples of archaeology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Krokmyrdal decided to pursue archaeology after his hobby of combing the countryside with a metal detector began turning up intriguing finds. — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, "Archaeology Student Finds Viking Trading Post in Norway," 24 July 2020 Sharon Gerstel, professor of Byzantine art and archaeology at UCLA, also stresses that while today’s decision has provoked an international outcry, much remains unknown about what next steps may be taken with the status of Hagia Sophia. — Kristin Romey, National Geographic, "Hagia Sophia stripped of museum status, paving its return to a mosque," 10 July 2020 These stellar streams are particularly useful for what astronomers call stellar archaeology—rewinding the cosmic clock to reconstruct the assembly of our galaxy. — Popular Science, "A local stellar graveyard could reveal our galaxy’s beginnings," 3 Aug. 2020 The museum also has been holding Friday morning lectures via Zoom on topics such as pandemics in ancient Greece and Rome and the archaeology of Tucson's Tumamoc Hill. — Laura Latzko, The Arizona Republic, "Learn to dance, get crafty: 3 Arizona arts groups have a summer's worth of family fun online," 3 July 2020 Despite his mercenary streak, Belzoni was genuinely interested in archaeology. — National Geographic, "This pharaoh's painted tomb was missing its mummy," 25 June 2020 The research is published in the journal internet archaeology. — Fox News, "Mysterious ring of Neolithic underground structures discovered near Stonehenge," 23 June 2020 According to archaeology reports, more than 1,000 people were buried at the Alamo during and after the mission era. — Scott Huddleston, ExpressNews.com, "Alamo launches search for new leader as CEO decides not to renew contract," 23 June 2020 Galactic archaeology is a really great term, especially for cocktail parties. — Kelly P. Franklin, USA TODAY, "Black in Academia: An interview with UT astronomer Keith Hawkins," 20 June 2020

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.

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First Known Use of archaeology

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for archaeology

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

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Time Traveler for archaeology

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The first known use of archaeology was in 1837

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Statistics for archaeology

Last Updated

21 Aug 2020

Cite this Entry

“Archaeology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archaeology. Accessed 22 Aug. 2020.

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More Definitions for archaeology

archaeology

noun
How to pronounce archaeology (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of archaeology

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

See the full definition for archaeology in the English Language Learners Dictionary

archaeology

noun
ar·​chae·​ol·​o·​gy
variants: or archeology \ ˌär-​kē-​ˈä-​lə-​jē \

Kids Definition of archaeology

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on 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

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