palaetiology
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From palaeo- + aetiology. Coined by William Whewell.
Noun
[edit]palaetiology (uncountable)
- (archaic, geology) The science that explains, by the law of causation, the past condition and changes of the Earth.
Usage notes
[edit]Rarely, if ever, used without reference to Whewell.
Related terms
[edit]References
[edit]- “palætiology”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.