Arenology: the study of sand.

Arenology: the study of sand. A word I somehow managed to live decades without, despite beaches, sandpaper, and that one summer when half of Kent seemed to blow directly into my shoes. It only crossed my path thanks to a certain Ogden’s set I’ve written about elsewhere — proof that cigarette cards can still expand one’s vocabulary long after the tobacco has vanished.

There’s something delightful about discovering that even sand — that most unassuming, unavoidable substance — has its own formal discipline, complete with specialists, terminology, and probably at least one academic who has spent a career arguing about grain size. Arenology feels like a reminder that the world is full of hidden sciences quietly doing their work while we stroll past, oblivious.

Footnote

*If arenologists ever form a guild, I imagine their motto will be: “Nothing is too small to study — literally.”