phi·lol·o·gy 
(fĭ-lŏlə-jē)
(fĭ-lŏlə-jē)n.
1. Literary study or classical scholarship.
2. See historical linguistics.
[Middle English philologie, from Latin philologia, love of learning, from Greek philologiā, from philologos, fond of learning or of words : philo-, philo- + logos, reason, speech; see -LOGY.]
phi·lolo·ger, phi·lolo·gist n.
phil′o·logic (fĭl′ə-lŏjĭk), phil′o·logi·cal (-ĭ-kəl) adj.
phil′o·logi·cal·ly adv.