Gynecology
/ˌɡaɪ.nəˈkɒl.ə.dʒi/noun
The branch of medicine dealing with the female reproductive system.
Did you know?Gynecology comes from Greek gynē (“woman”) + -logia (“study”), and that same ancient root also gave us words like gynecomastia and misogyny’s opposite-side family tree.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷḗn
“woman, wife”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γυνή (gynē)
“woman, female”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γυναικολογία (gynaikología)
“discussion or treatise on women; later, medical study of women”
19th Century
English
gynecology
“medical study of the diseases of women and the female reproductive system”
Modern English
English
gynecology
“the branch of medicine dealing with the female reproductive system”
Explore more surprising origins