# gelotology

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌd͡ʒɛləˈtɒləd͡ʒi/

## Definitions
1. The study of humour and laughter, and its effects on the body.

## Etymology
From Ancient Greek γέλωτος (gélōtos) (the genitive of γέλως (gélōs, “laughter”)) + English -logy (suffix denoting the study of a particular subject), coined by the anthropologist and linguist Edith Trager with participation from the American psychiatrist William F. Fry, Jr. (1924–2014) in March 1964.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gelotology