Scatoscopy
/ˌskætəˈskɒpi/noun
The examination of fecal matter, especially for diagnostic or divinatory purposes.
Did you know?The word combines Greek skatós, “dung,” with skopeîn, “to examine,” the same observational root behind telescope and horoscope.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sker-
“To cut or separate; a proposed ancestral root connected with Greek terms for excrement, understood as bodily matter separated from the body.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
σκῶρ (skōr), genitive σκατός (skatós)
“Excrement or dung; the genitive form supplied the combining stem scat-.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
σκοπεῖν (skopeîn)
“To look at, examine, or observe closely.”
Hellenistic and Late Greek
Greek
σκοπία (skopía)
“Observation or examination, a noun-forming development from the verb skopeîn.”
19th Century
English
scatoscopy
“A learned formation for examining fecal matter, particularly in medical or occult contexts.”
Modern English
English
scatoscopy
“The examination or interpretation of feces, whether for diagnosis or divination.”
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