penology

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UK/pɪˈnɒləd͡ʒi/UK/pəˈnɒləd͡ʒi/UK/piːˈnɒləd͡ʒi/US/piˈnɑləd͡ʒi/

noun

Study of the processes devised and adopted for the punishment and prevention of crime.

Similar
poenology
OriginLatin poena →
UncommonScrabble 14
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Meanings

nounpenology (countable and uncountable, plural penologies)

plural penologies · alternative pœnology · alternative poenology

  1. countableuncountableStudy of the processes devised and adopted for the punishment and prevention of crime.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe branch of criminology concerned with prison management and prisoner rehabilitation

Similar
poenology
Broader
criminology

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinpoena“penalty, punishment”
  2. Englishpenology

From Latin poena (“penalty, punishment”) + -ology.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic عِلْم الْعِقَاب
  • عِلْم الْعِقَاب (ʕilm al-ʕiqāb)study of punishment and prevention of crime
Bulgarian пенология
  • пенология (penologija)study of punishment and prevention of crime
Chinese Mandarin 刑罰學 /刑罚学
  • 刑罰學 /刑罚学 (xíngfá xué)study of punishment and prevention of crime
Czech penologie
  • penologiestudy of punishment and prevention of crime
Dutch penologie
  • penologiestudy of punishment and prevention of crime
Finnish patriarkaalinen
  • patriarkaalinenstudy of punishment and prevention of crime
French pénologie
  • pénologiestudy of punishment and prevention of crime
German Pönologie
  • Pönologiestudy of punishment and prevention of crime
Hungarian büntetésügy, kriminológia
  • büntetésügystudy of punishment and prevention of crime
  • kriminológiastudy of punishment and prevention of crime
Indonesian penologi
  • penologistudy of punishment and prevention of crime
Italian penologia
  • penologiastudy of punishment and prevention of crime
Japanese 行刑学
  • 行刑学 (gyōkei-gaku)study of punishment and prevention of crime
Korean 행형학
  • 행형학 (haenghyeonghak)study of punishment and prevention of crime
Lithuanian penologija
  • penologijastudy of punishment and prevention of crime
Persian کیفرشناسی
  • کیفرشناسی (keyfaršenâsi)study of punishment and prevention of crime
Russian пенология
  • пенология (penologija)study of punishment and prevention of crime
Slovak penológia
  • penológiastudy of punishment and prevention of crime
Spanish penología
  • penologíastudy of punishment and prevention of crime
Swahili penolojia
  • penolojiastudy of punishment and prevention of crime
Swedish penologi
  • penologistudy of punishment and prevention of crime
Turkish penoloji
  • penolojistudy of punishment and prevention of crime
Cite this entry
APA

penology. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penology

MLA

“penology.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penology. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “penology,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penology.

Source: penology on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.