Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Paleontology \Pa`le*on*tol"o*gy\, n. [Paleo- + Gr. ? existing
   things + -logy. Cf. {Ontology}.]
   The science which treats of the ancient life of the earth, or
   of fossils which are the remains of such life.

Source : WordNet®

paleontology
     n : the earth science that studies fossil organisms and related
         remains [syn: {palaeontology}, {fossilology}]