micropatriology

Etymology
+ logy ("study of")

Otherwise analysable as micro- + patriology.

Coined in 1973 by the International Micropatriological Society as the study of micronations by erroneously believing it to be the "study of small countries." In actuality, patrio (from Ancient Greek πατέρας patéras) means "father;" thus, micropatriology is the "study of small fathers."

One micropatriologist on MicroWiki suggested that they were intended to mean the "study of small father[lands]." This hypothesis is also supported by micropatriologist Pedro Aguiar in his Wikimicropídia. Additionally, Micropatriologist Ives Blackwood had hypothesised much earlier—possibly without the knowledge of the existence of the International Micropatriological Society—that the word had been derived from micropatriotism, a calque formed by analysis of micronationalism as micro- + nationalism.

Pronunciation

 * IPA (UK): /ˈmaɪ.kɹəʊpəˈtɹiːˈɒlədʒɪ/

Noun
Uncountable.
 * 1) The academic study of micronations, micronationalism, and the micronational community that surrounds it.
 * 2) (uncommon) The academic study of micronations and their relation to macronations, their claims to sovereignty (statehood) and theories of secessionism.

Quotations
2001: "Wishing all in micropatriology a better 2002 than 2001 was!"
 * unidyne [ Steven F. Scharff]. 29 December. "New Years Greetings" (post). alt.politics.micronations. Usenet.

2017: "While micropatriology is an interdisciplinary field, the historians amongst us would certainly encourage restraint in categorisation, even if these sorts of heuristic devices might be useful. No one micronation is very much alike with any other."
 * Soergel, William J. 29 August. "Re-Examining the Definition of Realism: Five Years after the Publication of the 'Fire of the Central Hearth'". Journal of Micropatriology.

Alternative forms

 * micropatrology (misspelling)

Translations

 * Portuguese: micropatriologia