ecology

B1 Topic:Biology & Genetics

US /ɪˈkɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/ UK /ɪˈkɒl.ə.d͡ʒi/ See IPA manual

Freq #28349

Meanings

1

noun
The study of the relationships between living things and their environment.

She is studying marine ecology at university.
2

noun
The pattern of relationships between living things and their surroundings in a particular place.

Building the dam changed the ecology of the whole valley.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the study of the... bionomics

Word family

Forms ecologies

Derived forms aeroecologyagroecologyanthecologyarcologyastroecologyautecologybioecologychemoecologychronoecologydendroecologyeco-ecological

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

human ecology
the study of human populations and their relationships with their surroundings

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Ecology was probably coined in 1866 by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel. Originally spelled oecology, it was based on Greek oikos, “house,” presenting the natural environment as the home of its plants and animals.

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.

οἶκος Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Biology & Genetics Environment & Ecology

External links

# ecology

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɪˈkɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪˈkɒl.ə.d͡ʒi/
**Frequency rank:** 28349

## Meanings
1. The study of the relationships between living things and their environment.
2. The pattern of relationships between living things and their surroundings in a particular place.

## Examples
- She is studying marine ecology at university.
- Building the dam changed the ecology of the whole valley.

## Derived Forms
- aeroecology
- agroecology
- anthecology
- arcology
- astroecology
- autecology
- bioecology
- chemoecology
- chronoecology
- dendroecology
- eco-
- ecological

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: οἶκος

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Ecology: 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. In current use, the main senses are “The study of the relationships between living things and their environment” and “The pattern of relationships between living things and their surroundings in a particular place”.

## Topics
- Biology & Genetics
- Environment & Ecology

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