mythonomyn.
/mɪˈθɒnəmi/, U.S. /məˈθɑnəmi/ Now rare.
The analysis of myths.By some writers used more specifically (see quot. 1881).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > mythology > [noun] > study of myths
mythology1809
mythonomy1876
mythography1882
mythogony1889
mythograph1904
1876 Jrnl. Anthropol. Inst. 5 222 From the Author.—Principles of Mythonomy. By Luke Burke.
1881 O. T. Mason Anthropol. in Smithsonian Inst. Rep. 501 Observing and descriptive stage... Mythography... Inductive and classifying stage... Mythology... Deductive and predictive stage... Mythonomy.
1882 Amer. Naturalist 16 829 Mythography... Mythology... Mythonomy.
1939 C. S. Lewis Let. (1966) 163 We now need a new word for ‘the science of the nature of myths’... Would ‘mythonomy’ do?
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1876