English Reference

Word

archaeology

Phoneticsar·chae·ol·o·gy

US/ˌɑɹkiˈɑɫədʒi/

UK/ˌɑːkiːˈɒlədʒi/

US spelling · archeology

Definition

n. the study of the past by digging up and examining objects, buildings, and other remains.

n. the systematic study of past human life and activities by the recovery and analysis of material culture.

Examples

“She decided to study archaeology to learn about ancient Egypt.”

“The new highway project was delayed after workers discovered a site of significant interest to local archaeology.”

“Modern archaeology relies as much on satellite imaging and chemical analysis as it does on the traditional methods of careful excavation and manual cataloging.”

Examples

simple

“She decided to study archaeology to learn about ancient Egypt.”

contextual

“The new highway project was delayed after workers discovered a site of significant interest to local archaeology.”

complex

“Modern archaeology relies as much on satellite imaging and chemical analysis as it does on the traditional methods of careful excavation and manual cataloging.”

Usage

Often used as an uncountable noun for the field of study, but can be countable when referring to a specific project or set of findings.

Real-World Examples

“To get a fresh perspective from under the sea, researchers launched SHIPs (2023–2028), a multiyear underwater archaeology project combining hands-on fieldwork across the Mediterranean and a major freshwater lake.”
Phys.org · 8 Sept 2026
“And there’s always a chance that ancient DNA or archeology could ultimately tell us a bit more about what these ghosts might have been.”
Ars Technica · 31 Jul 2026

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἀρχαιολογία (arkhaiología, “antiquarian lore, ancient legends, history”), from ἀρχαῖος (arkhaîos, “primal, old, ancient”) + λόγος (lógos, “speech, oration, study”). By surface analysis, archaeo- + -logy.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Synonyms

Word family

Related words

Domains

ArchaeologyHistory

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference