killology means the study of the psychological and physiological effects of killing and combat on the human psyche. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “killology” is a great word
KILLOLOGY — [Noun] The study of the psychological and physiological effects of killing and combat on the human psyche. From kill (meaning to cause the death of) + -ology (a suffix denoting a subject of study or branch of knowledge). Coined by American soldier and author Dave Grossman. Unlike criminology, which surveys the broad landscape of lawbreaking and its social roots, or thanatology, which contemplates death and dying, killology dissects the precise, violent mechanics of ending another life and the seismic aftershocks within the one who pulls the trigger. It is the tremor in a soldier's hand long after the rifle is set down, the ghost of a specific face that haunts a dreamless sleep, and the permanent recalibration of a soul's moral compass—the silent science of what it costs a human to unmake another.
noun
- The study of the psychological and physiological effects of killing and combat on the human psyche.