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 forms ec·o·log·i·cal [ek-uh -loj -i-kuh l, ee-kuh -] /ˌɛk əˈlɒdʒ ɪ kəl, ˌi kə-/ ec·o·log·ic , adjective ec·o·log·i·cal·ly , adverb e·col·o·gist , noun un·ec·o·log·i·cal , adjective un·ec·o·log·i·cal·ly , adverb Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for ecological green Examples from the Web for ecological Contemporary Examples of ecological We would have considered an algae bloom to be a welcome sign of ecological renewal.
It was a new, ecological eye that saw new kinds of harms and legislated to cure them.
Climate change is ecological but also economic, social, and political.
And garbage from this massive infrastructure project was also poured into the Mzymta River, causing an ecological hazard.
“The discourse of conservation has changed, [yet] nobody in Israel does social, cultural and ecological [surveys],” he said.
Historical Examples of ecological Some distributional and ecological records of Kansas reptiles.
An ecological survey of reptiles in parts of northwestern Texas.
His method was essentially that which is now styled "Ecological ."
We can find no place in the Ecological Balance for this species.
Not that any of us were interested at first in it as an ecological marvel, of course.
British Dictionary definitions for ecological adjective of or relating to ecology
(of a practice, policy, product, etc) tending to benefit or cause minimal damage to the environment
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Derived Forms ecologically , adverb 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
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Also called (for senses 1, 2): bionomics
Derived Forms ecologist , 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 ecological n. 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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.
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Related forms e′co•log′ i•cal (ē′kə-lŏj′ ĭ-kəl, ĕk′ə- ) null adj. e•col′ o•gist n. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
The scientific study of the relationships between living things and their environments. Also called bionomics
A system of such relationships within a particular environment.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
The study of living things, their environment, and the relation between the two.
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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.
