scatology

noun

sca·​tol·​o·​gy ska-ˈtä-lə-jē How to pronounce scatology (audio)
skə-
1
: interest in or treatment of obscene matters especially in literature
2
: the biologically oriented study of excrement (as for taxonomic purposes or for the determination of diet)
scatological adjective

Examples of scatology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
His mind swirled with scatology and characters from pulp fiction and the cinema. Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2021 But the show’s linguistic ingenuity extends well beyond scatology. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Greek skat-, skōr excrement; akin to Old English scearn dung, Latin muscerdae mouse droppings

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of scatology was in 1876

Dictionary Entries Near scatology

Cite this Entry

“Scatology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scatology. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

scatology

noun
sca·​tol·​o·​gy ska-ˈtäl-ə-jē, skə- How to pronounce scatology (audio)
plural scatologies
1
: interest in or treatment of obscene matters especially in literature
2
: the biologically oriented study of excrement (as for taxonomic purposes or for the determination of diet)
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