typology
|ty-pol-o-gy|
🇺🇸
/taɪˈpɑːlədʒi/
🇬🇧
/taɪˈpɒlədʒi/
classification by types
Etymology
'typology' originates from Medieval Latin 'typologia', ultimately from Greek 'typologia', where 'typos' meant 'impression, pattern, type' and 'logia' (from 'logos') meant 'study' or 'discourse'.
'typology' changed from Medieval Latin 'typologia' into Late Latin/Old French forms and then entered English in the 17th–18th centuries as 'typology', retaining the sense of 'study of types'.
Initially it meant 'the study or account of types', and over time it has come to mean both the scholarly study and the specific classification systems (the meaning has broadened slightly by application to new fields).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the study or analysis of types and systematic classification according to shared characteristics.
The typology of ancient pottery helps archaeologists date the site.
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Antonyms
Noun 2
a system or scheme of classification; a set of distinct types identified within a field.
The book presents a typology of leadership styles.
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Noun 3
in linguistics, the comparative study and classification of languages according to structural features (e.g., word order).
Linguistic typology compares word order across languages.
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Noun 4
in theology and literary studies, the interpretation of earlier events or figures as prefigurations (types) of later ones.
Biblical typology reads Old Testament events as prefigurations of New Testament events.
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Verb 1
verb form derived from 'typology' ('typologize'): to classify or arrange according to types (transformation of the base form).
Scholars typologize the artifacts to identify cultural patterns.
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Adjective 1
adjective form of 'typology': relating to or based on typology (transformation of the base form).
Researchers used a typological approach to group the artifacts.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/26 03:52