The term "kapnismology" evolved from the Greek word Kapnidzo, meaning 'I smoke".
It was the work of Dr. Dale Heath, Greek Professor at Taylor University, Upland, Indiana.
His academic breakdown of the term is as follows:
καπνίζω - Kapnidzo - I smoke
κάπνισμα - Kapnisma - the act of smoking
Kapnismology - the science or study of smoking
Kapnismologist - one who studies, or who makes an art of the act of smoking
This terminology was sought by Bruce Spencer in his original plans for establishing an organization for people who collected smoking pipes. This was in 1981 and was part of two years of research conducted by C. Bruce Spencer & Associates, an advertising and marketing firm that, at that time, was working with the National Knife Collectors Association, as one of its clients.
In keeping with his efforts to develop an official name for pipe collectors, Mr. Spencer saw an article in the Franklin Mint Almanac regarding official names for the various collectible activities. It read, "As nearly everyone knows, a Numismatist collects coins and a Philatelist's hobby is stamps. But how many collectors can name the particular fascination of a Vexillogist, or what obsesses an Exonumist? What about a Cochlerist or Avecturist, not to mention a habitual practitioner of Deltiology?
Lurking behind these names are quite respectable citizens whose interests are, respectively: flags, tokens and medals, spoons, transportation tokens and postcards."