ecology
UK /ɪˈkɒl.ə.d͡ʒi/ · US /ɪˈkɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/ noun
Forms ecologies oecology œcology
- noun (biology) The branch of biology dealing with the relationships of organisms with their environment and with each other.
- noun (by extension) Any study of the relationships of components of a system with their environment and with each other. “social ecology”
- noun The totality or pattern of relationships of components of a system with their environment and with each other.
Synonyms
Etymology
Calque of German Ökologie (coined in 1866 by Ernst Haeckel), from Ancient Greek οἶκος (oîkos, “house”) + -λογία (-logía, “study of”). By surface analysis, eco- + -logy.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “ecology”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details