ethnology

noun

eth·​nol·​o·​gy eth-ˈnä-lə-jē How to pronounce ethnology (audio)
: a branch of cultural anthropology dealing chiefly with the comparative and analytical study of cultures
ethnological adjective
or less commonly ethnologic
ethnologist noun

Examples of ethnology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In this insightful talk, Mark Collard delves into the significant yet underappreciated role of ethnology in archaeology. David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2024 Alexander Hoffmann, a student of ethnology, is impressed by the intellect of their translator Kezia Kambazembi, and begins to question the racial theories of white supremacy. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 16 Feb. 2023 In the fields of ethnology and anthropology, scholars such as Arnold van Gennep and, later, Victor Turner introduced liminality to describe the periods of ambiguity during rites of passage. Jake Pitre, The Atlantic, 1 Nov. 2022 As part of that approach, Page, who runs a nonprofit focused on the ethnology and documentation of dance of the African diaspora, wanted to implement the concept of masquerade in the staging and choreography. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 5 Oct. 2022 While Godard was studying ethnology at the Sorbonne in the late 1940s, the first cine-clubs began sprouting up all over the capital. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 13 Sep. 2022 The museum has not had a curator of African art and ethnology since August of 2019, when Mary Jo Arnoldi retired after 35 years. Peggy McGlone, Washington Post, 27 July 2022 On the coat’s interior, Fields digitally printed photos of historic moments, documents, ethnology reports and even her great-grandfather. Lily Katzman, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2020 The dictionary, published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, where Dr. Laughlin was curator of Mesoamerican ethnology, was not simply a compilation of which Tzotzil word equals which English word. Neil Genzlinger, BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ethnology.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1787, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ethnology was in 1787

Dictionary Entries Near ethnology

Cite this Entry

“Ethnology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethnology. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ethnology

noun
eth·​nol·​o·​gy eth-ˈnäl-ə-jē How to pronounce ethnology (audio)
: a science that studies and compares human cultures
ethnological adjective

Medical Definition

ethnology

noun
eth·​nol·​o·​gy eth-ˈnäl-ə-jē How to pronounce ethnology (audio)
plural ethnologies
: a branch of cultural anthropology dealing chiefly with the comparative and analytical study of cultures
ethnological adjective
also ethnologic

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