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
Examples from the Web for ecology Contemporary Examples of ecology And of course one needs to convince the French Ministries of Culture and of Ecology that the application makes sense.
In other words, criticism is a tiny part of the ecology of the music business, but an essential part.
None of Denes's issues, in art or politics or economics or ecology , are any less worth addressing today than 30 years ago.
The boat was also traced to the tsunami, Curt Hart of the Washington Department of Ecology told The Daily Beast.
The lectures have featured such topics as the effect of temperature on chocolate, browning foods, and the ecology of farming.
Historical Examples of ecology Ecology of the opossum on a natural area in northeastern Kansas.
The centipedes of the Chicago area with special reference to their ecology .
Stone Age—but that's partly an accident of ecology , isn't it?
The wolf: the ecology and behavior of an endangered species.
The youngest branch of Botany is Ecology or the study of vegetation in relation to habitat—particularly soil in its widest sense.
British Dictionary definitions for 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
Show More
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 ecology 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.
Show More
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.
Show More
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.
Show More
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.
Show More
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.