Definition of the word speleology

The word "speleology" originated in the early 19th century from two Greek roots: "spelaion" which means cave, and "logos" which means study or science. The term first appeared in print in a Greek textbook authored by a Serbian linguist named Juriša Račić in 1881. However, the word did not gain widespread use until the 1890s, when a French caver named Gabriel de Mortilière wrote a book titled "Spéléologie ou science du rappel du ruissellement souterrain" translating to "Speleology or science of the subterranean drainage." Now, speleology is recognized as the scientific discipline that studies caves and subterranean environments, including their geological, biological, and environmental aspects.