meth·od·ol·o·gy

[meth-uh-dol-uh-jee]
noun, plural meth·od·ol·o·gies.
1.
a set or system of methods, principles, and rules for regulating a given discipline, as in the arts or sciences.
2.
Philosophy.
a.
the underlying principles and rules of organization of a philosophical system or inquiry procedure.
b.
the study of the principles underlying the organization of the various sciences and the conduct of scientific inquiry.
3.
Education. a branch of pedagogics dealing with analysis and evaluation of subjects to be taught and of the methods of teaching them.
Origin:
1790–1800; < Neo-Latin methodologia. See method, -o-, -logy

Related forms
meth·od·o·log·i·cal [meth-uh-dl-oj-i-kuhl] , adjective
meth·od·o·log·i·cal·ly, adverb
meth·od·ol·o·gist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To Methodology
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Methodology is always a great word to know.
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a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
methodology (ˌmɛθəˈdɒlədʒɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n , pl -gies
1.  the system of methods and principles used in a particular discipline
2.  the branch of philosophy concerned with the science of method and procedure
 
methodological
 
—adj
 
methodo'logically
 
—adv
 
method'ologist
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

methodology
1800, from Mod.L. methodologia; see method + -ology.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

methodology definition


1. An organised, documented set of procedures and guidelines for one or more phases of the software life cycle, such as analysis or design. Many methodologies include a diagramming notation for documenting the results of the procedure; a step-by-step "cookbook" approach for carrying out the procedure; and an objective (ideally quantified) set of criteria for determining whether the results of the procedure are of acceptable quality.
An example is The Yourdon methodology.
2. A pretentious way of saying "method".
(1995-04-10)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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Example sentences
Get an expert panel to monitor their data, methodology and claims.
Their methodology: asking non-dog-owners to match photos of people with one of
  three dog breeds.
The last two issues around menstrual synchrony are related to methodology and
  statistics.
He didn't employ a consistent methodology, rating in spurts and usually while
  searching for something to watch.
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