ethology

noun

ethol·​o·​gy ē-ˈthä-lə-jē How to pronounce ethology (audio)
1
: a branch of knowledge dealing with human character and with its formation and evolution
2
: the scientific and objective study of animal behavior especially under natural conditions
ethological adjective
ethologist noun

Examples of ethology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Nowadays in my field of science, ethology, there is a lot of discussion about the survival of the friendliest. Lulu Garcia-Navarro, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 These are issues which bubble up at the intersection of ethology and evolution. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 14 June 2011 History, ethnography, ethology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, physiology, and epidemiology, all receive attention, to name just a few of the more prominent lenses which the author fits over the course of the narrative. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 5 Jan. 2011 Melissa Bateson, a professor of ethology at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, has studied ways to communicate with animals and consulted with Cronin. Lorna Collier, Discover Magazine, 3 May 2016 This, the squishy and contentious realm of comparative psychology and cognitive ethology, asks such questions as: Do dogs experience jealousy? Sadie Dingfelder, Washington Post, 1 July 2022 Until the publication of the first modern ethology textbook (The Study of Instinct, by Nikolaas Tinbergen) in 1951, however, field work wasn’t an important part of zoology. Stephen Armstrong, Wired, 2 Dec. 2021 Many of Tinbergen’s students ended up working for the NHU helping create a new kind of wildlife television—ethology in action. Stephen Armstrong, Wired, 2 Dec. 2021 Konrad Lorenz, a Nobel Prize-winning biologist from Austria, formalized the study of animal behavior, or ethology, in the middle of the twentieth century. Ben Crair, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ethology.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Greek ethos + English -logy

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ethology was in 1843

Dictionary Entries Near ethology

Cite this Entry

“Ethology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethology. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ethology

noun
ethol·​o·​gy ē-ˈthäl-ə-jē How to pronounce ethology (audio)
: the scientific study of animal behavior

Medical Definition

ethology

noun
ethol·​o·​gy ē-ˈthäl-ə-jē How to pronounce ethology (audio)
plural ethologies
: the scientific and objective study of animal behavior especially under natural conditions
ethological adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on ethology

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