typology

ty·pol·o·gy   (tī-pŏl'ə-jē)    n.   pl. ty·pol·o·gies The study or systematic classification of types that have characteristics or traits in common. A theory or doctrine of types, as in scriptural studies. ty'po·log'i·cal (tī'pə-lŏj'ĭ-kəl), ty'po·log'ic (-lŏj'ĭk) adj., ty'po·log'i·cal·ly adv., ty·pol'o·gist n.

Main Entry: ty·pol·o·gy
Pronunciation: tI-'päl-&-jE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -gies
: study ofor study based on types; especially : classification (as of personality, human physique, or bacterial strains) based on the comparative study of types —ty·po·log·i·cal /"tI-p&-'läj-i-k&l/ adjective

typology

system of groupings (such as "landed gentry" or "rain forests"), usually called types, the members of which are identified by postulating specified attributes that are mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive-groupings set up to aid demonstration or inquiry by establishing a limited relationship among phenomena. A type may represent one kind of attribute or several and need include only those features that are significant for the problem at hand

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