'ethnological' originates from the Greek word 'ethnos,' meaning 'nation' or 'people,' combined with the suffix '-logy,' meaning 'study of.'

'ethnos' transformed into the French word 'ethnologie,' and eventually became the modern English word 'ethnology,' with 'ethnological' as its adjective form.

Initially, it meant 'study of nations or peoples,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.