ornithology

[awr-nuh-thol-uh-jee]

noun

the branch of zoology that deals with birds.

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for ornithologist

Historical Examples of ornithologist

The man is not so much prized, we may believe, as the ornithologist.
The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 2, May, 1851
Various
To this list we must now add the name of the ornithologist Le Vaillant.
Celebrated Travels and Travellers
Jules Verne
Then Will, the ornithologist of his party, began to hear songs which were familiar to him.
The Inca Emerald
Samuel Scoville
This family presents the ornithologist with yet another problem in colouration.
Birds of the Plains
Douglas Dewar
Such is the voice of the bird yclept “canorus” by the ornithologist.
Jungle Folk
Douglas Dewar

British Dictionary definitions for ornithologist

ornithology

noun

the study of birds, including their physiology, classification, ecology, and behaviour

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 ornithologist

1670s, from ornithology + -ist.

ornithology

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

ornithologist in Science

ornithology

[ôr′nə-thŏl′ə-jē]

The scientific study of birds.