/ˌästēˈäləjē/
Noun
1. a. The scientific study of bones, practiced by osteologists. A subdiscipline of anatomy, anthropology, and archeology, osteology is a detailed study of the structure of bones, skeletal elements, teeth, microbone morphology, function, disease, pathology, the process of ossification (from cartilaginous molds), the resistance and hardness of bones (biophysics), etc. often used by scientists with identification of vertebrate remains with regard to age, death, sex, growth, and development and can be used in a biocultural context. (wikipedia.org)
b. The scientific study of the morphology and pathology of bones. (wiktionary.org)
c. The medical study of diseases and disorders of bones. (biology-online.org)
d. The study of the structure and function of the skeleton and bony structures. (Google Dictionary)
2. (Anatomy) The bone structure of a particular individual, or species. (wiktionary.org)
Word origin: from French ostèologie, from Modern Latin osteologia, from Greek osteon “bone.”