noun
ecology
ih-KOL-uh-jee
noun
1
The branch of biology that studies how living things relate to each other and to their environment.
"She's doing a PhD in the ecology of coral reefs."
2
The pattern of relationships between the parts of any system and their surroundings.
"Researchers mapped the ecology of the local business network."
How to Use Ecology
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe scientific study of how living things and their environment fit together.
Common pairings
study ecology
marine ecology
human ecology
Word Forms
ecologies plural
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Etymology
A loan-translation of German Ökologie, coined in 1866 by the biologist Ernst Haeckel from Greek oîkos ("house") plus -logía ("study of") — literally, the "study of the household" of nature.
Rhymes for ecology
eulogy
apology
zoology
biology
analogy
geology
trilogy
theology
ideology
oncology
pathology
mythology
See all rhymes for ecology →