symbology
noun
sym·bol·o·gy sim-ˈbä-lə-jē 
plural symbologies
1
: the art of expression by symbols
2
: the study or interpretation of symbols
3
: a system of symbols
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The films, in which Hanks portrays Robert Langdon, a professor of art history and symbology, were panned by critics — earning Hanks some of the worst reviews of his career. 
Justine Browning, EW.com, 13 June 2022 The Equiano exhibit brings to life his Igbo village life and customs, from symbology to recipes to folklore. Darcel Rockett, chicagotribune.com, 18 Feb. 2022 The snakes may have some personal significance, molting and rebirth and all that; the symbology may also, more than anything, just suggest being a dude. New York Times, 5 Nov. 2021 After Tom Hanks and his misguided hair choices played Brown’s hero in the Da Vinci Code and its subsequent movies, this show casts Ashley Zukerman, a.k.a. Shiv’s sidepiece from Succession, as a younger, jockier version of the symbology professor. Jackson Mchenry, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2021 That gives us the platform to be able to communicate these ideas through symbology and talk in metaphors and analogies, cover all these archetypes and human themes. Steve Baltin, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2021 Trump’s campaign has had to disavow Nazi symbology in the past. Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2021 The Gettysburg gambit is just his latest attempt to appropriate American history and symbology and pervert it to suit his ends. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 12 Aug. 2020 However, though the Mississippi flag was the last to bear the obvious image of the Confederate battle flag, there are other state flags that contain Confederate symbology that may be a little harder to spot. Aj Willingham, CNN, 1 July 2020 See More
Justine Browning, EW.com, 13 June 2022 The Equiano exhibit brings to life his Igbo village life and customs, from symbology to recipes to folklore. Darcel Rockett, chicagotribune.com, 18 Feb. 2022 The snakes may have some personal significance, molting and rebirth and all that; the symbology may also, more than anything, just suggest being a dude. New York Times, 5 Nov. 2021 After Tom Hanks and his misguided hair choices played Brown’s hero in the Da Vinci Code and its subsequent movies, this show casts Ashley Zukerman, a.k.a. Shiv’s sidepiece from Succession, as a younger, jockier version of the symbology professor. Jackson Mchenry, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2021 That gives us the platform to be able to communicate these ideas through symbology and talk in metaphors and analogies, cover all these archetypes and human themes. Steve Baltin, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2021 Trump’s campaign has had to disavow Nazi symbology in the past. Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2021 The Gettysburg gambit is just his latest attempt to appropriate American history and symbology and pervert it to suit his ends. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 12 Aug. 2020 However, though the Mississippi flag was the last to bear the obvious image of the Confederate battle flag, there are other state flags that contain Confederate symbology that may be a little harder to spot. Aj Willingham, CNN, 1 July 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
symbol + -logy
First Known Use
1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1