US /ɪˈkɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/ UK /ɪˈkɒl.ə.d͡ʒi/
noun Freq #28349

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

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

    She is studying marine ecology at university.

  2. 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

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.

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Topics

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