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ornithology

[awr-nuh-thol-uh-jee]
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noun
  1. the branch of zoology that deals with birds.
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Origin of ornithology

From the New Latin word ornithologia, dating back to 1645–55. See ornitho-, -logy
Related formsor·ni·tho·log·i·cal [awr-nuh-thuh-loj-i-kuh l] /ˌɔr nə θəˈlɒdʒ ɪ kəl/, or·ni·tho·log·ic, adjectiveor·ni·tho·log·i·cal·ly, adverbor·ni·thol·o·gist, nounun·or·ni·tho·log·i·cal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ornithological

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The ornithological world is peopled by two classes of human beings.

    Birds of the Plains

    Douglas Dewar

  • I have never seen any mention of this in an ornithological treatise.

    Birds of the Plains

    Douglas Dewar

  • Thus, quite unconsciously, was an ornithological fact elucidated.

    Unexplored Spain

    Abel Chapman

  • I do not know how I came to see them, for I was not in an ornithological frame of mind.

    Riverby

    John Burroughs

  • In ornithological works it is described under the former of these names.

British Dictionary definitions for ornithological

ornithology

noun
  1. the study of birds, including their physiology, classification, ecology, and behaviour
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Derived Formsornithological (ˌɔːnɪθəˈlɒdʒɪkəl), adjectiveornithologically, adverbornithologist, noun
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 ornithological

adj.

1802, from ornithology + -ical. Related: Ornithologically.

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ornithology

n.

1670s, from Modern Latin ornithologia (1590s); see ornitho- + -logy.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
ornithological in Science

ornithology

[ôr′nə-thŏl′ə-jē]
  1. The scientific study of birds.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.