The suffix -ology means

• A. A disease condition
• B. The study of
• C. A surgical procedure
• D. A type of inflammation

Answer: (B)

Suffix -ology indicates the study of a subject or field of knowledge. It turns words into names of disciplines, like biology (study of life), psychology (study of the mind), and dermatology (study of the skin). That is why this ending signals a field of study rather than a disease, procedure, or type of inflammation. The other meanings are signaled by different endings, such as -itis for inflammation, -ectomy or -otomy for surgical procedures, and -pathy or -osis for diseases. So the suffix -ology is best understood as "the study of."