Showing results for ethnobiology. Search instead for ethnobiologist.

ethnobiology

American

[eth-noh-bahy-ol-uh-jee] / ˌɛθ noʊ baɪˈɒl ə dʒi /

noun

Anthropology.

the scientific study of the way plants and animals are treated or used by different human cultures.
(no longer in technical use) the doctrine that cultural behavior is determined biologically.

ethnobiology British

/ ˌɛθnəʊbaɪˈɒlədʒɪ /

noun

the branch of biology involving the study of the uses of plants and animals in various human societies

"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

Other Word Forms

ethnobiological adjective
ethnobiologist noun

Etymology

Origin of ethnobiology

ethno- + biology

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As regards the first question, an entire field of science, termed ethnobiology, studies peoples’ knowledge of the wild plants and animals in their environment.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023