Bryology
/braɪˈɒlədʒi/noun
The branch of botany that studies mosses, liverworts, and hornworts.
Did you know?Bryology comes from Greek bryon, meaning “moss” or “tree-moss,” plus -logia, “study of,” so its name literally means the study of moss.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
βρύον (bryon)
“moss, tree-moss”
Ancient Greek
Greek
-λογία (-logia)
“study, discourse”
18th–19th Century
New Latin
bryologia
“the study of mosses and related plants”
19th Century
English
bryology
“the scientific study of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts”
Modern English
English
bryology
“the branch of botany concerned with bryophytes”
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