ecology

[ih-kol-uh-jee]

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

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

Related formsec·o·log·i·cal

[ek-uh-loj-i-kuh l, ee-kuh-] /ˌɛk əˈlɒdʒ ɪ kəl, ˌi kə-/, ec·o·log·ic, adjectiveec·o·log·i·cal·ly, adverbe·col·o·gist, nounun·ec·o·log·i·cal, adjectiveun·ec·o·log·i·cal·ly, adverb

Can be confusedbiosphere ecology ecosystem environment habitat

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.
Food of the Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos Brehm, in South-central Kansas
Dwight Platt
Therefore, in its ecologic relationships with many other species, it is a density dependent predator.
Food of the Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos Brehm, in South-central Kansas
Dwight Platt
Relative antiquity of the birds might be ascertained by measuring their ecologic adaptations.
The Avifauna of Micronesia, Volume 3
Rollin 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 3
Rollin 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 3
Rollin H. Baker

British Dictionary definitions for ecologic

ecology

noun

the study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment

the set of relationships of a particular organism with its environment

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

Also called (for senses 1, 2): bionomics

Derived Formsecologist, noun

Word Origin for ecology

C19: from German Ökologie, from Greek oikos house (hence, environment)

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

Word Origin and History for ecologic

ecology

1873, "branch of science dealing with the relationship of living things to their environments, coined by German zoologist Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) as Okologie, from Greek oikos "house, dwelling place, habitation" (see villa) + -logia "study of" (see -logy). In use with reference to anti-pollution activities from 1960s.

ecologic in Medicine

ecology

[ĭ-kŏl′ə-jē]

n.

The branch of science that is concerned with the relationships between organisms and their environments.

The relationship between organisms and their environments.

The study of the detrimental effects of modern civilization on the environment, with a view toward their prevention or reversal through conservation.

Related formse′co•log′i•cal (ē′kə-lŏj′ĭ-kəl, ĕk′ə-) null adj.e•col′o•gist n.

ecologic in Science

ecology

[ĭ-kŏl′ə-jē]

The scientific study of the relationships between living things and their environments. Also called bionomics

A system of such relationships within a particular environment.

ecologic in Culture

ecology

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