ecology
[ih-kol-uh-jee]
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noun, plural e·col·o·gies for defs 2, 3.
the branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, including other organisms.
the set of relationships existing between organisms and their environment: desert ecologies.
the set of relationships existing between any complex system and its surroundings or environment: the ecology and politics of healthcare.
Also called human ecology. the branch of sociology concerned with the spacing and interdependence of people and institutions.
advocacy for the protection of natural resources from pollution or its effects; environmentalism.
Also Archaic, oe·col·o·gy.
Origin of ecology
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for ecologic
Historical Examples of ecologic
The economic and ecologic significance of insects in the diet of birds is often oversimplified.
Therefore, in its ecologic relationships with many other species, it is a density dependent predator.
Relative antiquity of the birds might be ascertained by measuring their ecologic adaptations.
The Avifauna of Micronesia, Volume 3Rollin H. Baker
The smaller the island, the fewer the number of ecologic niches and the fewer the kinds of birds present.
The Avifauna of Micronesia, Volume 3Rollin H. Baker
It feeds on the ground to a large extent, fitting into an ecologic niche which few other species of birds of the islands occupy.
The Avifauna of Micronesia, Volume 3Rollin H. Baker
ecology
noun
Also called (for senses 1, 2): bionomics
Word Origin for ecology
C19: from German Ökologie, from Greek oikos house (hence, environment)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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ecology
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
ecology
[ĭ-kŏl′ə-jē]
n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
ecology
[ĭ-kŏl′ə-jē]
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ecology
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.