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philology

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noun phi·lol·o·gy \ fə-ˈlä-lə-jē also fī- \

Definition of philology

1 :the study of literature and of disciplines relevant to literature or to language as used in literature
2 a :linguistics; especially :historical and comparative linguistics
b :the study of human speech especially as the vehicle of literature and as a field of study that sheds light on cultural history
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philological

play \ˌfi-lə-ˈlä-ji-kəl\ adjective
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philologically

play \ˌfi-lə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
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philologist

play \fə-ˈlä-lə-jist also fī-\ noun

See philology defined for English-language learners

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From the M-W Editors

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Recent Examples of philology from the Web

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

Origin and Etymology of philology

French philologie, from Latin philologia love of learning and literature, from Greek, from philologos fond of learning and literature, from phil- + logos word, speech — more at legend

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

PHILOLOGY Defined for English Language Learners

philology

play
noun

Definition of philology for English Language Learners

  • : the study of language; especially : the study of how languages or words develop

Learn More about philology

  1. Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about philology

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