ornithology

[ awr-nuh-thol-uh-jee ]

noun

the branch of zoology that deals with birds.

Origin of ornithology

From the New Latin word ornithologia, dating back to 1645–55. See ornitho-, -logy

Other words from ornithology

or·ni·tho·log·i·cal [awr-nuh-thuh-loj-i-kuhl], /ˌɔr nə θəˈlɒdʒ ɪ kəl/, or·ni·tho·log·ic, adjective
or·ni·tho·log·i·cal·ly, adverb
or·ni·thol·o·gist, noun
un·or·ni·tho·log·i·cal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ornithology in a sentence

In sober truth it might as well lay one open to the charge of being an ornithologist.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen Leacock
And as for that Yankee ornithologist, he's hung himself with the Countess's corset—string—yes, he has!
In Search of the Unknown | Robert W. Chambers
To this list we must now add the name of the ornithologist Le Vaillant.
Celebrated Travels and Travellers | Jules Verne
Needless to state that in the monsoon the tank and the jhil are the happy hunting grounds of the ornithologist.
A Bird Calendar for Northern India | Douglas Dewar
In the United Provinces the only nest which the ornithologist can be sure of finding is that of the white-backed vulture.
A Bird Calendar for Northern India | Douglas Dewar

British Dictionary definitions for ornithology

ornithology

/ (ˌɔːnɪˈθɒlədʒɪ) /

noun

the study of birds, including their physiology, classification, ecology, and behaviour

Derived forms of ornithology

ornithological (ˌɔːnɪθəˈlɒdʒɪkəl), adjective
ornithologically, adverb
ornithologist, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for ornithology

ornithology

[ ôr′nə-thŏl′ə-jē ]

The scientific study of birds.

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