osteology

noun

os·​te·​ol·​o·​gy ˌä-stē-ˈä-lə-jē 

1

: a branch of anatomy dealing with the bones

2

: the bony structure of an organism

osteological

ˌä-stē-ə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

adjective

osteologist

ˌä-stē-ˈä-lə-jist 

noun

Examples of osteology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So far, all three bodies were found in adult-sized coffins and sent to an on-site osteology lab. — Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2024

Another chance encounter sparks his affair with Jess, a specialist in vertebrate osteology at the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History. — Emily Bingham, The Courier-Journal, 17 Mar. 2023

Since then, 26 burials have been found and four sets of remains have been exhumed and taken to an on-site osteology lab, Tulsa officials said. — Raja Razek, CNN, 12 Nov. 2022

Christopher Aris is a biological anthropologist who currently teaches anatomy and osteology at the University of Sheffield. — Christopher Aris, Discover Magazine, 2 Apr. 2021

The work could aid researchers in diverse fields involving bone, such as osteology, forensic medicine and archaeology. — Mark Barna, Discover Magazine, 3 May 2018

Word History

Etymology

New Latin osteologia, from Greek, description of bones, from oste- + -logia -logy

First Known Use

1670, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for osteology

• anthology
• apology
• astrology
• biology
• christology
• chronology
• conchology
• cosmology
• cryptology
• cytology
• doxology
• ecology

Medical Definition

osteology

noun

os·​te·​ol·​o·​gy ˌäs-tē-ˈäl-ə-jē 

plural osteologies

1

: a branch of anatomy dealing with the bones

2

: the bony structure of an organism

osteological

-tē-ə-ˈläj-i-kəl 

adjective