The English -logy suffix originates with loanwords from the Greek, usually via Latin and French, where the suffix-λογία(-logía) is an integral part of the word loaned. E.g.astrology fromastrologia, since the 16th century.
TheFrench-logie is a continuation ofLatin-logia, ultimately fromAncient Greek-λογία(-logía). Within Greek, the suffix is an-ία(-ía) abstract fromλόγος(lógos,“account, explanation, narrative”), itself a verbal noun fromλέγω(légō,“Isay,speak,converse, tell a story”).
Within English, the suffix becomes productive, especially to form names of sciences or departments of study, analogous to names of disciplines loaned from the Latin, such asastrology fromastrologia orgeology fromgeologia. Original compositions of terms with no precedent in Greek or Latin become common beginning in the later 18th century, sometimes imitating French or German templates (e.g.insectology, attested 1766, after Frenchinsectologie;terminology, attested 1801, after GermanTerminologie).
In a third stage, from the 19th century, the suffix becomes productive enough to formnonce combinations with English terms with no Greek or Latin origin, such asundergroundology (1820),hatology (1837).
Finally, from the second half of the 19th century, the suffix has also been used as asimplex asology (pluralologies) andlogy (plurallogies), in parallel with and often alongsideism (pluralisms).
-logy
The form-ology is also used when including the connecting vowel-o- that is commonly used in connecting two elements of Greek origin.
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