The term "geology" was first used technically in publications by two Genevan naturalists, Jean-André Deluc and Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, though "geology" was not well received as a term until it was taken up in the very influential compendium, the Encyclopédie, published beginning in 1751 by Denis Diderot.
O termo "xeoloxía" foi usado tecnicamente por primeira vez en publicacións de dous naturalistas de Xenebra, Jean-André Deluc e Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, aínda que o termo "xeoloxía" non foi ben recibido ata que se incluíu nun compendio tan influente como a Encyclopédie, que empezou a publicarse en 1751 por Denis Diderot.