penology

or poe·nol·o·gy

[ pee-nol-uh-jee ]
/ piˈnɒl ə dʒi /

noun

the study of the punishment of crime, in both its deterrent and its reformatory aspects.
the study of the management of prisons.

Origin of penology

1830–40; peno- (combining form representing Greek poinḗ penalty) + -logy

OTHER WORDS FROM penology

pe·no·log·i·cal [peen-l-oj-i-kuh l] /ˌpin lˈɒdʒ ɪ kəl/, adjective pe·nol·o·gist, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH penology

penal penological punitive

Example sentences from the Web for penological

British Dictionary definitions for penological

penology
/ (piːˈnɒlədʒɪ) /

noun

the branch of the social sciences concerned with the punishment of crime
the science of prison management
Also called: poenology

Derived forms of penology

penological (ˌpiːnəˈlɒdʒɪkəl), adjective penologically, adverb penologist, noun

Word Origin for penology

C19: from Greek poinē punishment