Main Entry: ecol·o·gy

Pronunciation: \i-ˈkä-lə-jē, e-\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural ecol·o·gies

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

Date: 1873

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