Definition of: anthropology

(an′thrə·pol′ə·jē) noun
1. The science of man in his physical, social, material, and cultural development, including the study of his origins, evolution, geographic distribution, ethnology, and communal forms.
2. The detailed study of the customs, beliefs, folkways, and superstitions of an ethnic group, especially on a comparative basis.
—an·thro·po·log·i·cal (an′thrə· pə·loj′i·kəl) or ·log′ic adjective
—an′thro· po·log′i·cal·ly adverb
—an′thro·pol′o·gist noun