What does scatology mean?
Scatology is the study and examination of feces, particularly in medicine, where analysis of stool can help identify digestive disorders, infections, parasites, and other health problems. The term may also be used more broadly for the academic study of excrement or bodily waste. In contemporary usage, scatology is most often technical, appearing in medical contexts such as laboratory testing and research. Because it refers directly to feces, it can sound blunt or humorous outside specialist settings. The word is related to the Greek skatos, meaning dung or excrement, combined with the suffix -logy, meaning the study of. Scatological describes something connected with this field, while a scatologist is a specialist who studies or examines feces.
nounThe study of feces or excrement, especially the examination of stool for medical diagnostic purposes. The word can also refer more broadly to the systematic study of bodily waste.
- The medical examination of feces to diagnose disease or assess digestive health.
- The academic study of feces, excrement, or bodily waste.
"The clinic's laboratory specializes in scatology and the detection of digestive disorders."
"Stool samples were sent for scatology to investigate the patient's digestive symptoms."
"The museum's exhibition combines medical scatology with the history of attitudes toward waste."
Plural usage is uncommon; the singular form is normally used for the field or discipline.
"The text discusses several scatologies from different historical and cultural perspectives."
Scatology is the medical field that turns a potentially awkward subject into evidence about health, diet, and disease.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does scatology come from?
Scatology was formed in the 19th century from the Greek skatos, meaning dung or excrement, and -logy, a combining form meaning the study of. Its terminology became especially associated with medical examination of stool. The same Greek element appears in related terms concerning dung or fecal matter, including coprolith, coprophagous, and coprophilia.
Related word forms
How scatology is actually used
The term is technical and clinical in modern usage. In general conversation, its associations with excrement may make it sound humorous or improper, even when used accurately.
Easily confused with scatology
Coprology is a largely synonymous term for the study or examination of feces, while scatology is more commonly used in modern medical contexts.