What is "thanatology"

Thanatology \Than`a*tol"o*gy\ (th[a^]n`[.a]*t[o^]l"[-o]*j[y^]), n. [Gr. qa`natos + -logy.] A description, or the doctrine, of death.
--Dunglison.

"scientific study of death," 1837, from thanato- "death" + -logy. In 1970s, some undertakers made a bid to be called thanatologists; but from 1974 that word has been used principally in reference to specialists in the needs of the terminally ill.

n. 1 The scientific study of the mechanisms and forensic aspects of death. 2 (context psychology English) The study of human aspects of death and the associated grief and rituals.

n. the branch of science that studies death (especially its social and psychological aspects)

Thanatology is the scientific study of death. It investigates the mechanisms and forensic aspects of death, such as bodily changes that accompany death and the post-mortem period, as well as wider psychological and social aspects related to death. It is primarily an interdisciplinary study offered as a course of study at numerous colleges and universities.

The word is derived from the Greek language. In Greek mythology, Thanatos (θάνατος: "death") is the personification of death. The English suffix -ology derives from the Greek suffix -logia (-λογια: "speaking").