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thanatology

noun
than路​a路​tol路​o路​gy | \ 藢tha-n蓹-藞t盲-l蓹-j膿 How to pronounce thanatology (audio) \

Definition of thanatology

: the description or study of the phenomena of death and of psychological mechanisms for coping with them
Other Words from thanatology Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about thanatology

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Other Words from thanatology

thanatological \ 藢tha-​n蓹-​t蓹-​藞l盲-​ji-​k蓹l How to pronounce thanatological (audio) \ adjective
thanatologist \ 藢tha-​n蓹-​藞t盲-​l蓹-​jist How to pronounce thanatologist (audio) \ noun

Did You Know?

In Greek mythology, Thanatos was the personification of death and the twin brother of Hypnos (Sleep). The ancient Greeks eventually came to use thanatos as a generic word for "death." Thanatology is a direct linguistic heir of the Greek term and was first documented in English in the mid-1800s. As a science, thanatology examines attitudes toward death, the meaning and behaviors of bereavement and grief, and other matters. In 1935, the word thanatos itself made its debut in English, ushered in with psychoanalytic theory to describe an unconscious tendency toward self-destruction.

Examples of thanatology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 Another thirty-five years passed before the paper was translated into English and published, in Omega, a journal of thanatology, by Russell Noyes, Jr., a psychiatrist at the University of Iowa. — Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, "Black Ice, Near-Death, and Transcendence on I-91," 2 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of thanatology

circa 1842, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for thanatology

Greek thanatos + English -logy

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More Definitions for thanatology

thanatology

noun
than路​a路​tol路​o路​gy | \ 藢than-蓹-藞t盲l-蓹-j膿 How to pronounce thanatology (audio) \
plural thanatologies

Medical Definition of thanatology

: the description or study of the phenomena of death and of psychological mechanisms for coping with them

Other Words from thanatology

thanatological \ 藢than-​蓹t-​岬妉-​藞盲j-​i-​k蓹l How to pronounce thanatological (audio) \ adjective

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about thanatology

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