Typology
/taɪˈpɒl.ə.dʒi/noun
The study or classification of things according to type or pattern.
Did you know?Typology ultimately comes from Greek typos, a “blow” or “impression,” so the word began with the idea of something stamped into matter before it became a system of classification.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
typos
“A blow, mark made by a blow, impression, or model”
Late Greek
Greek
-logia
“Study, discourse, or doctrine”
16th Century
Latin/English
typologia
“A systematic study of types or symbols”
17th-18th Century
English
typology
“Classification by types; in theology, the interpretation of events or persons as prefigurations”