Phi*lol"o*gy (?), n. [L.
philologia love of learning, interpretation, philology, Gr.
&?;: cf. F. philologie. See Philologer.]
1. Criticism; grammatical learning. [R.]
Johnson.
2. The study of language, especially in a
philosophical manner and as a science; the investigation of the laws
of human speech, the relation of different tongues to one another, and
historical development of languages; linguistic science.
&fist; Philology comprehends a knowledge of the etymology,
or origin and combination of words; grammar, the construction of
sentences, or use of words in language; criticism, the interpretation
of authors, the affinities of different languages, and whatever
relates to the history or present state of languages. It sometimes
includes rhetoric, poetry, history, and antiquities.
3. A treatise on the science of
language.
