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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ecologies
  plural

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

See Examples For:

ecology ecologies

Many marmot problems appear to revolve around their appetite for salt, which they find on sweat-stained hiking poles and backpack straps as well as radiator fluid, said Blumstein, an ecology and evolutionary biology professor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

"So I think everyone's view of China's overall technological ecology is changing."

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

The researchers instead suggest that ecology may have imposed a lower size limit on dinosaurs.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

"If it goes straight into a river, it causes eutrophication. The whole ecology of the river is damaged, and the river is dying."

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

The social scientists, especially the economists, are moving deeply into ecology and the environment these days, with disquieting results.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

The British architectural critic Reyner Banham wrote about the region’s four ecologies: the coast, the foothills, the flatlands and the freeways.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025

While Mr Bhatia doesn’t think that urbanisation is evil, he points out that it can lead to the rather unscientific abandonment of traditions that were designed to serve systems and ecologies.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2024

"But plastic bottles…become curses in our bodies and interconnected ecologies."

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2023

Her public projects reflect a broader movement of city dwellers interested in reclaiming underused outdoor sites and forging more intimate connections with local ecologies.

From New York Times ● Sep. 30, 2022

Infestation by Hannemania probably reflects similar ecologies rather than close relationships.

From A Taxonomic Revision of the Leptodactylid Frog Genus Syrrhophus Cope by John D. Lynch

Related Words

• conservation
• preservation