O początkach terminu „geologia”

The article presents the way in which the term “geology” in its today’s meaning was formed. The reasons for its consolidation among the naturalists in Poland and throughout Europe are pointed out. Thanks to the scientific influence of the father of European mineralogy A.G. Werner (1749-1817), the term geology was in some cases replaced by geognosy and oryctognosy. In turn, the father of Polish geology, Stanisław Staszic (1755-1826), favoured using the term ziemiorodztwo (“terrogenesis”). Probably, for the first time the term geology was used in Polish in 1804 by Józef Wybicki (1747-1822), the creator of the national anthem “Dąbrowski Mazurka”, and by Jan Śniadecki (1756-1830), an outstanding geographer, mathematician and astronomer.