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ar·chae·ol·o·gy or ar·che·ol·o·gy

(är′kē-ŏlə-jē)

The systematic study of past human life and culture by the recovery and examination of remaining material evidence, such as graves, buildings, tools, and pottery.

[French archéologie, from New Latin archaeologia, from Greek arkhaiologiā, antiquarian lore : arkhaio-, archaeo- + -logiā, -logy.]

ar′chae·o·logi·cal (-ə-lŏjĭ-kəl), ar′chae·o·logic adj.

ar′chae·o·logi·cal·ly adv.

ar′chae·olo·gist n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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