SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

phenology

play

noun phe·nol·o·gy \fi-ˈnä-lə-jē\

Definition of phenology

1 : a branch of science dealing with the relations between climate and periodic biological phenomena (such as bird migration or plant flowering)
2 : periodic biological phenomena that are correlated with climatic conditions

phenological

play \ˌfē-nə-ˈlä-ji-kəl\ adjective

phenologically

play \ˌfē-nə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Origin and Etymology of phenology

phenomena + -logy

NEW!

First Known Use: circa 1884

See Words from the same year

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up phenology? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

crucible

play

a severe test

Words at Play

alt-596f730ceb5ae

Words We're Watching: 'Scoby'

Kombucha lovers unite.

alt-596e1a928254c

Words We're Watching: 'Fidget Spinner'

Don't fight the fad

alt-5956722528373

A Nun's 'Habit' & A Mini-Skirt

They have more in common than you might think.

alt-596cccb141873

Our Verdict on 'Judgy'

Will word nerds judge you for this?

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz

A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz

Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz

Add Diction

Build a chain of words by adding one letter at a time.

Play the game