malacology

[prettygoodword]

malacology (mal-uh-KOL-uh-jee) - n., the study of mollusks.


Or more precisely, the branch of zoology that studies them. The study of specifically their shells is conchology, now considered an outdated thing to study as shell morphology is not a great guide to the organism as a whole, though conchologist is still humorously applied to shell collectors. Taken in the 1830s from French malacologie, shortened form of malacozoologie, from Malacozoa, the former name for the phylum Molluska, coined from Ancient Greek roots malakós, soft + zôion, animal.

---L.

Comments

[ngoomie]

Kinda surprised I'd never heard this one, considering I bum around a bit in naturalist spaces and the like.

[prettygoodword]

I've seen it two or three times, but IIRC only in older stories, as in earlier 20h century. It's possible one instance was in Thurber, in fact.

[med_cat]

Never knew there was a word for that

[prettygoodword]

If you can think of a thing, there almost certainly is an English word for it, or will be soon.

[med_cat]

So very true!