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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. The biological study of birth defects.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. Narration of what is marvelous or prodigious; exaggeration in description.
  2. n. In anat., zoöl., and botany, the science of animal or vegetable monstrosities; that department of biology which treats of malformations, or monstrous or abnormal growths, in the animal or the vegetable kingdom.

Wiktionary

  1. n. The study of teratogenesis, congenital malformations or grossly deformed individuals.
  2. n. The study of the mechanisms, teratogenic agents, or teratogens, in bringing about malformations.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. That branch of biological science which treats of monstrosities, malformations, or deviations from the normal type of structure, either in plants or animals.
  2. n. Affectation of sublimity; bombast.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. the branch of biology concerned with the development of malformations or serious deviations from the normal type of organism

Examples

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Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘teratology’.

Comments

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  • rolig So a series of four novels featuring monster-like characters with congenital abnormalities would be a teratology tetralogy? Dec 11, 2008

  • reesetee Yes! Thanks, whichbe. I've linked to it a couple of times here on Wordie, but I can't remember where at the moment. May 13, 2008

  • whichbe There's a wonderful museum in Philadelphia called the Mütter Museum that specializes in this subject. May 12, 2008

‘teratology’ has been looked up 989 times, added to 18 lists, commented on 3 times, and has a Scrabble score of 14.