zoomusicology

/ˌzəʊəmjuːzɪˈkɒlədʒi/

zoomusicology means A branch of zoosemiotics dealing with the musical aspects of animal sounds. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

zoomusicology is pronounced /ˌzəʊəmjuːzɪˈkɒlədʒi/.

Why “zoomusicology” is a great word

ZOOMUSICOLOGY — [Noun] The scholarly study of the structural and aesthetic musical qualities inherent in animal vocalizations and communicative sound-making. Its name is a compound of the Greek-derived zoo- (from zōion, "animal") and musicology (from mousikē, "art of the Muses," and -logia, "study of"). Unlike "zoosemiotics" (which encompasses the entire grammar of animal signals) or "bioacoustics" (which measures frequency, amplitude, and mechanism), zoomusicology listens for the phrase, the rhythm, the motif. It transcribes the evolving, ocean-spanning aria of a humpback whale, the contrapuntal call-and-response of gibbons, and the rhythmic, communal drumming of a woodpecker on a hollow tree—a discipline founded on the quiet admission that not all beauty is ours alone.

Etymology

From zoo- + musicology.

noun

A branch of zoosemiotics dealing with the musical aspects of animal sounds.