psychology
noun
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The Roots of Psychology
The word psychology was formed by combining the Greek psychē (meaning “breath, principle of life, life, soul,”) with –logia (which comes from the Greek logos, meaning “speech, word, reason”). An early use appears in Nicholas Culpeper’s mid-17th century translation of Simeon Partliz’s A New Method of Physick, in which it is stated that “Psychologie is the knowledg of the Soul.” Today, psychology is concerned with the science or study of the mind and behavior. Many branches of psychology are differentiated by the specific field to which they belong, such as animal psychology, child psychology, and sports psychology.
Examples of psychology in a Sentence
Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 19 July 2025
Registration and publication Sadly, replication research is hard to publish: Only 3% of papers in psychology, less than 1% in education and 1.2% in marketing are replications.
—Amanda Kay Montoya, The Conversation, 17 July 2025
At certain moments, though, the circularity is not driven by historical pattern or individual psychology, but by something stranger—a collective or chorus of interrupting, overlapping voices.
—Katie Kitamura, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
Yoon, an economics and sociology major at Columbia University, and Smith, an economics and psychology major at the University of Michigan, both graduated from La Jolla High in 2023.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for psychology
Cite this Entry
“Psychology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychology. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
psychology
noun
from scientific Latin psychologia "the study of the mind and behavior," derived from Greek psychē "soul, mind" and Greek -logia "science, study"
Medical Definition
psychology
noun
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