US /baɪˈɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/ UK /baɪˈɒl.ə.d͡ʒɪ/
noun Freq #7792

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    The science that studies living things such as plants and animals.

    She is studying biology at university.

  2. 2
    noun

    The way the body of a living thing works.

    Scientists are learning more about the biology of the brain.

  3. 3
    noun

    All the plant and animal life of a particular area.

    Pollution is damaging the biology of the lake.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · the science that studies... biological sciencelife science
3 noun · all the plant and animal... biota
More lifelore
Word family
Forms biologies
Derived forms abiologyactinobiologyaerobiologyagrobiologyanthropobiologyarchaeobiologyastrobiologybiologesebiologisticbiostitutechemobiologychronobiology
Related forms aerobiologistagrobiologistanthropobiologistarachnologistastrobiologistbiologicbiologicalbiologicallybiologismbiologistbiologizebiosphere

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃-der. Ancient Greek βίος (bíos) Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- Ancient Greek λόγος (lógos) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek -λογῐ́ᾱ (-logĭ́ā)bor. New Latin -logia New Latin biologialbor. English biology Borrowed from New Latin biologia (1766), itself from Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “bio-, life”) + -λογία (-logía, “-logy, branch of study, to speak”). By surface analysis, bio- + -logy. In English, first attested in the modern meaning in the work of English…

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