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

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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)

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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

He said there had been a "woeful lack of investment" in ecology.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

"The results are consistent with the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, an important framework in ecology and conservation."

From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026

Its waters are part of the ancestral homeland of the Kootzaduka’a, whose name, meaning “brine fly eaters,” reflects their longstanding relationship with the lake and its ecology.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Dr Marianna Chimienti is a lecturer in marine top predator ecology at Bangor University and said Morgan experienced a "rare and fortunate encounter".

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

This was the consensus of a group of specialists who met at Syracuse University in i960 to discuss the ecology of the soil.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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

"I recorded from beneath the bark and composed music led by the rainforests themselves, empowering them to have their own voice in raising awareness of fragile ecologies," she said.

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2024

In the past few years, a cultural sea change has occurred in Hollywood with oceans becoming central ecologies in many blockbusters, including Disney's "Moana" in 2016 and "Aquaman."

From Salon ● Jan. 2, 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

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Related Words

• conservation
• preservation

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