If "Ornithology" is study of the birds, what term is study of the cats?

The irrational fear of cats is ailurophobia. Keeping to the Greek models for such things, then, my guess is that the word might be ailurology. That's just a guess. You'd think there would be a more familiar term, wouldn't you, considering the significance of cats. Probably there is.

I looked up your word for the study of cats, and it isn't in the dictionary, but I found this word in the dictionary:

One entry found for ailurophile.


Main Entry: ai·lu·ro·phile
Pronunciation: I-'lur-&-"fIl, A-
Function: noun
Etymology: Greek ailouros cat
Date: 1927
: a cat fancier : a lover of cats


Well, I hope it helps somewhat! I've been looking for the "study of" but I can't find that anywhere.

Thanks, Clerky07, for your post. Since everyone here at this forum is certainly ailurophilic as opposed to ailurophobic, I'm wondering now why I didn't cite your form of the word to begin with.

The standard Greek root for "study" in these kinds of cases is "logy" (related to the English word "logic"). Tack this onto the Greek root for cat, ailur- (inserting the linking vowel "o" in the process) and you wind up with ailurology, as I said. I'm sticking with that.

Am I ever a happy camper. I got to combine my love of words with my love of cats in one post here. How good is that?

[This message was edited by maiku on 10-22-02 at 03:35 PM.]