ecology

ecol·o·gy

noun \i-ˈkä-lə-jē, e-\

plural ecol·o·gies

Definition of ECOLOGY

1

: a branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environments

2

: the totality or pattern of relations between organisms and their environment

3

: human ecology

4

: environment, climate <the moral ecology>; also : an often delicate or intricate system or complex <the ecology of language>

— eco·log·i·cal \ˌē-kə-ˈlä-ji-kəl, ˌe-kə-\ also eco·log·ic \-jik\ adjective

— eco·log·i·cal·ly \-ji-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

— ecol·o·gist \i-ˈkä-lə-jist, e-\ noun

Origin of ECOLOGY

German Ökologie, from öko- eco- + -logie -logy

First Known Use: 1873

Other Ecology Terms

Malthusian, anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga, tundra

Rhymes with ECOLOGY

chronology, gemology, graphology, horology, neurology, oology, pathology, psychology, technology, trichology, urology