ornithology

noun or·ni·thol·o·gy \ ˌȯr-nə-ˈthä-lə-jē \

Definition of ornithology

plural ornithologies

1 :a treatise on ornithology

2 :a branch of zoology dealing with birds

—

ornithological

play \ˌȯr-nə-thə-ˈlä-ji-kəl\ or less commonly ornithologic play \ˌȯr-nə-thə-ˈlä-jik\ adjective

—

ornithologically

play \ˌȯr-nə-thə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

—

ornithologist

play \ˌȯr-nə-ˈthä-lə-jist\ noun

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Recent Examples of ornithology from the Web

But the data gathered from their farm and the animals that survived may prove critical and will be combined with other data being gathered by the ornithology institute, which tracks many hundreds of animals.

— elisabetta povoledo, New York Times, "Can Animals Predict Earthquakes? Italian Farm Acts as a Lab to Find Out," 17 June 2017
Mira spelled the following words correctly to remain in contention: Icarian, ornithology and ferriferous.

— chuck fieldman, chicagotribune.com, "Western Springs, Lake Forest girls advance to Scripps National Spelling Bee finals," 1 June 2017
Ostensibly about Mozart’s beloved pet bird, this essay is a collision of musicology, psychology and scientific ornithology.

— helen macdonald, New York Times, "Biographies of Cecil the Lion and Others in ‘Animals Strike Curious Poses’," 13 Mar. 2017
The bird carcasses will be sent off to the federal forensic ornithology lab in Ashland, Oregon, to determine the cause of death.

— National Geographic, "More Bald Eagles Have Died Mysteriously," 21 Mar. 2016
Investigators are working the scene and are sending the bird carcasses to the federal forensic ornithology lab in Ashland, Oregon, to determine cause of death.

— National Geographic, "The Deaths of 13 Bald Eagles May Have Been a Criminal Act," 22 Feb. 2016
That data becomes essential to ornithology research.

— david lang, WIRED, "The Weird, Wild World of Citizen Science Is Already Here," 22 May 2014

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ornithology.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ornithology

New Latin ornithologia, from ornith- + -logia -logy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1654

See Words from the same year

Other Birds Terms

aerie, bunting, clutch, covey, hackle, ratite, rictus, ruff, skein, zygodactyl

ORNITHOLOGY Defined for English Language Learners

ornithology

noun

Definition of ornithology for English Language Learners

: a branch of science that deals with the study of birds

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Spanish Central: Translation of ornithology Nglish: Translation of ornithology for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ornithology

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ornithology

Definition of ornithology

ornithological

ornithologically

ornithologist

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ornithology

Definition of ornithology

ornithological

ornithologically

ornithologist

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