entomology

[ en-tuh-mol-uh-jee ]

noun

1. the branch of zoology dealing with insects.

entomology

/ ˌɛntəˈmɒlədʒɪ; ˌɛntəməˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

noun

1. the branch of science concerned with the study of insects

entomology

/ ĕn′tə-mŏl′ə-jē /

1. The scientific study of insects.

Derived Forms

• entomological, adjective
• ˌentoˈmologist, noun
• ˌentomoˈlogically, adverb

Other Words From

• en·to·mo·log·i·cal [en-t, uh, -m, uh, -, loj, -i-k, uh, l], en·to·mo·log·ic adjective
• en·to·mo·log·i·cal·ly adverb
• en·to·mol·o·gist noun
• non·en·to·mo·log·ic adjective
• non·en·to·mo·log·i·cal adjective
• un·en·to·mo·log·i·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of entomology¹

First recorded in 1760–70; entomo- + -logy

Word History

Scientists who study insects (there are close to a million that can be studied!) are called entomologists. Why are they not called “insectologists”? Well, in a way they are. The word insect comes from the Latin word insectum, meaning “cut up or divided into segments.” (The plural of insectum, namely insecta, is used by scientists as the name of the taxonomic class that insects belong to.) This Latin word was created in order to translate the Greek word for “insect,” which is entomon. This Greek word also literally means “cut up or divided into segments,” and it is the source of the word entomology. The Greeks had coined this term for insects because of the clear division of insect bodies into three segments, now called the head, thorax, and abdomen.

Example Sentences

The periodical lifestyle evolved along with them, the researchers wrote online October 8 in the Annual Review of Entomology.

From Science News

They also gravitate toward people with warmer body temperatures, type O blood, and anyone wearing darker clothing, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

From Outside Online

Matt Bertone, Extension Associate in Entomology, North Carolina State UniversityThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

From No Straight News

One must know not only how to catch it but where to find it, and some knowledge of entomology is essential at the very beginning.

From Project Gutenberg

The following curious account of wild bees is principally abridged from Kirby and Spences very interesting work on entomology.

From Project Gutenberg

In the introduction to a modern Entomology there is a description of the process by which the spider weaves its web.

From Project Gutenberg

My readers may differ in appraising the comparative value of the trifling discoveries which entomology owes to my labours.

From Project Gutenberg

Thou art in a land rich in botany and mineralogy, rich in zoology and entomology.

From Project Gutenberg