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

Words nearby penology

pennyweight, pennywort, pennyworth, penobscot, penobscot bay, penology, penoncel, penpoint, penpusher, penrith, penrose

Example sentences from the Web for penology

British Dictionary definitions for penology

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