anthropology

The word “anthropology” means the scientific and scholarly study of human beings, covering culture, language, biology, and history. In plain terms, the academic field devoted to understanding humans and their cultures.

“Anthropology” is pronounced anth-ruh-PO-luhd-zhee (/ˌænθɹəˈpɑləd͡ʒi/ in IPA).

Here is “anthropology” used in a sentence: “Her degree in anthropology took her on fieldwork trips to remote villages.”

“Anthropology” is a noun.

The word “anthropology” comes from Greek. From Greek anthrōpos ("human being") plus -logia ("study of") — literally "the study of humankind.".

“Anthropology” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the C1 level.

Anthropology studies human beings broadly, including culture, language, biology, and history, often across many societies and time periods. Sociology focuses more narrowly on the structure and behavior of groups within contemporary societies. The two fields overlap but anthropology traditionally takes a wider, more comparative and historical view.

Anthropology is usually divided into subfields covering culture, language, biology, and history, reflecting its broad scope as the scientific and scholarly study of human beings. Cultural anthropology looks at customs and social life, linguistic anthropology studies language, and biological anthropology examines human evolution and physical variation. Archaeology, which studies past societies through physical remains, is sometimes treated as a related field within anthropology.

Anthropology is generally described as both a scientific and scholarly discipline, since it combines systematic research methods with historical and cultural interpretation. This dual nature lets it draw on techniques from the natural sciences while also engaging with humanities-style analysis of culture and history.