Today's AWAD is:
pedology (pi-DOL-uh-jee) noun
The study of soil: its formation, usage, classification, etc. Also called soil science.
[From Greek pedon (soil).]
If at first you thought pedology was the study of children, you're not completely off. Using the Greek suffix pedo- (child), this term can refer to the field concerned with the development of little ones. But for everyone's sanity, pedology is mostly used when referring to soils, and pediatrics for children. Imagine taking your sick child to a pedologist who turns out to be an expert in soils or expecting a soil specialist to check your backyard when she shows up with a stethoscope around her neck.
Have you heard the one about the pedologist who moved into a new school district? All his neighbors were up in arms. They thought he had a soiled mind.
He finally calmed them down. He told them he had nothing against kids. "I'm more of a pedofield than a pedophile", he explained.
