ecology

American  

[ih-kol-uh-jee, ee-kol-] / ɪˈkɒl ə dʒi, iˈkɒl- /

Archaic, oecology

noun

ecologies plural

1. the branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, including other organisms.

2. the set of relationships existing between organisms and their environment.

   Inflowing rivers introduce nutrients and sediments that are important for the ecology of the lake.

3. the set of relationships existing between any complex system and its surroundings or environment.

   In the ecology of healthcare, both politics and technology play a key role.

4. Also called human ecology.  the branch of sociology concerned with the spacing and interdependence of people and institutions.

5. advocacy for the protection of natural resources from pollution or its effects; environmentalism.

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ecology British  

/ ɪˈkɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment

2. the set of relationships of a particular organism with its environment

3. the study of the relationships between human groups and their physical environment

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ecology Scientific  

/ ĭ-kŏl′ə-jē /

1. The scientific study of the relationships between living things and their environments.

2. Also called bionomics

3. A system of such relationships within a particular environment.

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ecology Cultural  

1. The study of living things, their environment, and the relation between the two.

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Synonym Usage

See ecosystem ( def. ).

Other Word Forms

• ecologic
  adjective
• ecological
  adjective
• ecologically
  adverb
• ecologist
  noun
• unecological
  adjective
• unecologically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of ecology

First recorded in 1870–75; earlier oecology, from German Ökologie, from Greek oîk(os) “house, dwelling” + -o- + German -logie -logy; term introduced by E. H. Haeckel (1834–1919)

Explanation

The noun ecology describes the environment as it connects to living things, or the branch of biology that studies that environment. The German zoologist Ernst Haeckel coined the word ecology almost 150 years ago, and it should come as no surprise — his being a serious scientist and all — that he combined a couple of Greek words to do it. Oikos means "habitation" and -ology means "the study of." So ecology started off as the study of where things live. More and more, though, the word is used interchangeably with environment.

Example Sentences

"Contrary to alarmist claims, there is no imminent threat to the Aravallis' ecology," it said in a December statement.

From Barron's • May 31, 2026

Teller stressed that native insects are critical to local ecosystems, and that his imported honeybees in fact depend on native ecology.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

To tackle the problem, the researchers adapted a statistical method commonly used in ecology.

From Science Daily • May 12, 2026

She was really about being in communion with the environment, so ecology was very present in her work.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

However, they are fragmented by geography and by ecology: the Isthmus of Panama, only 40 miles wide, virtually transects the Americas geographically, as do the isthmus’s Darien rain forests and the northern Mexican desert ecologically.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• conservation
• preservation