Meanings
nounthanatology (usually uncountable, plural thanatologies)
plural thanatologies
- uncountableusuallyThe scientific study of death and the practices associated with it, including the study of the needs of the terminally ill and their families.
Meronym: mortuary science
1 more example
The work is part of a growing field called comparative thanatology — the study of how different animals react to death.
2022 May 17, Elizabeth Preston, “Elephants in Mourning Spotted on YouTube by Scientists”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
Origin
- Ancient Greekθάνατος“death”
- Englishthanatology
From thanato- + -logy, from Ancient Greek θάνατος (thánatos, “death”).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 死亡學 /死亡学
- 死亡學 /死亡学 (sǐwángxué)scientific study of death
Czech thanatologie
- thanatologiescientific study of death
Estonian tanatoloogia
- tanatoloogiascientific study of death
Finnish tanatologia
- tanatologiascientific study of death
French thanatologie
- thanatologiescientific study of death
German Sterbensforschung
- Sterbensforschungscientific study of death
Hindi मृत्युविज्ञान
- मृत्युविज्ञान (mŕtyuvijñān)scientific study of death
Hungarian haláltan
- haláltanscientific study of death
Icelandic dauðafræði
- dauðafræðiscientific study of death
Irish báseolaíocht
- báseolaíochtscientific study of death
Italian tanatologia
- tanatologiascientific study of death
Japanese 死生学
- 死生学 (shiseigaku)scientific study of death
Korean 사망학
- 사망학 (samanghak)scientific study of death
Malay kaji kematian, tanatologi
- kaji kematianscientific study of death
- tanatologiscientific study of death
Persian مرگشناسی
- مرگشناسی (margšenāsī)scientific study of death
Polish tanatologia
- tanatologiascientific study of death
Portuguese tanatologia
- tanatologiascientific study of death
Russian танатология
- танатология (tanatologija)scientific study of death
Slovak tanatológia
- tanatológiascientific study of death
Spanish tanatología
- tanatologíascientific study of death
Swedish thanatologi
- thanatologiscientific study of death
Tamil மரணவியல்
- மரணவியல் (maraṇaviyal)scientific study of death
Turkish tanatoloji
- tanatolojiscientific study of death
Vietnamese tử vong học
- tử vong họcscientific study of death
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with thanatology
technologypsychologybiologymethodologyecologypathologypharmacologytheologyastrologygeologyanthropologyarchaeologymythologyradiologytopologyanthologynanotechnologyideologyneurologycardiologydermatologymorphologyontologyapology
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
thanatology. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thanatology
MLA
“thanatology.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thanatology. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thanatology,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thanatology.
Source: thanatology on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.