Protology
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The branch of theology pertaining to origins and first things. countable, uncountable
"And hence the progress of the history of salvation is the progress of protology in the progressive development of its starting-point."
- 2 the study of origins and first things wordnet
- 3 A text or oral history giving the origins of a people. countable, uncountable
"Or, alternatively, perhaps they are the first human beings as described in tribal protologies."
- 4 An error for proctology. countable, uncountable
"The writer states that: (1) during the past decade protology has come to include diseases of the colon, and that the extension is beneficial inasmuch as it encourages and provides for a better diagnosis, and for a more thorough search after etiology."
Example
More examples"And hence the progress of the history of salvation is the progress of protology in the progressive development of its starting-point."
Etymology
From Ancient Greek πρωτολογίᾱ (prōtologíā). By surface analysis, proto- + -logy.
Related phrases
More for "protology"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.