philology

noun3

1. •
   The humanistic study of texts and their languages, especially ancient or classical languages.

   • […]his early philosophical studies converged with his original love of philology as he pursued the “prehistory” of Kantian critique in Descartes, Galileo, and Copernicus, back to Plato. — 2016
2. •
   (rare) Love and study of learning and literature, broadly speaking.
3. •
   (no longer used, rare) Historical or comparative linguistics.