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es·cha·tol·o·gy (ĕs′kə-tŏlə-jē)
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n.
1. The branch of theology that is concerned with the end of the world or of humankind.
2. A belief or a doctrine concerning the ultimate or final things, such as death, the destiny of humanity, the Second Coming, or the Last Judgment.
[Greek eskhatos, last; see eghs in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + -LOGY.]
es·chat′o·logi·cal (ĭ-skăt′l-ŏjĭ-kəl, ĕs′kə-tə-lŏj-) adj.
es·chat′o·logi·cal·ly adv.
es′cha·tolo·gist n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

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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