socioanthropology
|so-ci-o-an-thro-pol-o-gy|
🇺🇸
/ˌsoʊ.si.oʊ.æn.θrəˈpɑl.ə.dʒi/
🇬🇧
/ˌsəʊ.si.əʊ.æn.θrəˈpɒl.ə.dʒi/
combination of sociology and anthropology
Etymology
'socioanthropology' originates from a combination of the prefix 'socio-' (from Latin 'socius', meaning 'companion, ally', via French/Neo-Latin uses) and the noun 'anthropology' (from Greek 'anthropos' + 'logos', meaning 'human' + 'study').
'socioanthropology' developed in academic English in the 20th century as a blended compound (often written 'socio-anthropology') formed from 'socio-' + 'anthropology' and eventually stabilized in use as 'socioanthropology'.
Initially used simply to indicate the combining of sociological and anthropological perspectives, the term has come to denote specific interdisciplinary methods and frameworks that explicitly integrate both disciplines' approaches.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an interdisciplinary field or approach that combines methods and theories from sociology and anthropology to study social structures, cultural practices, and human behavior in context.
She published a paper in socioanthropology examining how urban planning influences everyday cultural practices.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/13 10:49