ecology

Archaic, oe·col·o·gy

[ih-kol-uh-jee, ee-kol-]

noun

plural

ecologies 

1. the branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, including other organisms.

2. the set of relationships existing between organisms and their environment.

   Inflowing rivers introduce nutrients and sediments that are important for the ecology of the lake.

3. the set of relationships existing between any complex system and its surroundings or environment.

   In the ecology of healthcare, both politics and technology play a key role.

4. Also called human ecology. the branch of sociology concerned with the spacing and interdependence of people and institutions.

5. advocacy for the protection of natural resources from pollution or its effects; environmentalism.

ecology

/ ɪˈkɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment

2. the set of relationships of a particular organism with its environment

3. the study of the relationships between human groups and their physical environment

ecology

1. The scientific study of the relationships between living things and their environments.

2. Also called bionomics

3. A system of such relationships within a particular environment.

ecology

1. The study of living things, their environment, and the relation between the two.

Other Word Forms

• ecological adjective
• ecologic adjective
• ecologically adverb
• ecologist noun
• unecological adjective
• unecologically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of ecology¹

First recorded in 1870–75; earlier oecology, from German Ökologie, from Greek oîk(os) “house, dwelling” + -o- + German -logie -logy; term introduced by E. H. Haeckel (1834–1919)

Word History and Origins

Origin of ecology¹

C19: from German Ökologie, from Greek oikos house (hence, environment)

Synonym Study

See ecosystem ( def. ).

Example Sentences

The authors include veterans in atmospheric science, physics, ecology, forecast modeling and several other fields at universities, think tanks and research institutions in the United States and abroad.

From Los Angeles Times

“There is a long history of Republicans focused on vote fraud nationally that doesn’t end up turning out to be large numbers,” said Jon Gould, dean of the school of social ecology at UC Irvine.

From Los Angeles Times

"They are rare and their numbers reflect the health of the entire system's ecology."

From BBC

We built fast, we built cheaply, we built for the view and not for the fire-prone chaparral ecology we were building into.

From Los Angeles Times

Later, Yu earned a landscape ecology degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and spent two years in Los Angeles working for SWA Group before returning to China in 1997.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• conservation 
• preservation