neology means the study or art of neologizing (creating new words). It carries an Arena rating of 1501, earned across 33 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, neology ranks #2,829 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #3,650 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #4,557 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #4,582 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words.
Why “neology” is a great word
NEOLOGY — [Noun] The practice or study of coining new words or expressions, or a historical theological movement characterized by rationalist innovation in doctrine. From the French 'néologie', modeled on English compounding of the combining forms neo- (from Greek 'neos', meaning 'new') and -logy (from Greek '-logia', meaning 'study or discourse'). In theological use, it implied innovation departing from tradition. First attested in English 1790–1800. Unlike neologism (which is the newly minted word itself) or orthodoxy (which is the fortress of authorized belief), neology is the active forge or the critical heresy. It is the quiet click of a new term fitting a nameless experience, the theologian's perilous revision of a creed, and the slow accretion of slang that reshapes a living language—the human insistence that the world is not yet finished.
Etymology
From neo- + -logy. In the theological sense, originally implying its proponents were innovators departing from religious tradition.
noun
- The study or art of neologizing (creating new words).
- A reformist school of 18th- and 19th-century Christian theology influenced by doctrinal rationalism and the methods of historical criticism.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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