ornithology

[ awr-nuh-thol-uh-jee ]

noun
  1. the branch of zoology that deals with birds.

Origin of ornithology

1
From the New Latin word ornithologia, dating back to 1645–55. See ornitho-, -logy

Other words from ornithology

  • or·ni·tho·log·i·cal [awr-nuh-thuh-loj-i-kuhl], /ˌɔr nə θəˈlɒdʒ ɪ kəl/, or·ni·tho·log·ic, adjective
  • or·ni·tho·log·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • or·ni·thol·o·gist, noun
  • un·or·ni·tho·log·i·cal, adjective

Words Nearby ornithology

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ornithology in a sentence

  • We were enthusiasts in our love for ornithology; we found new inspiration in the democracy of our common interests.

    In Search of the Unknown | Robert W. Chambers
  • If we could not make occasional swans of our geese in this life, we should be very ill off in matters of ornithology.

    Tony Butler | Charles James Lever
  • ornithology was especially interesting, combining as it did observation of birds in their natural haunts and conditions.

  • For more than forty years he studied the ornithology of his district without exhausting the subject.

    A Year in the Fields | John Burroughs
  • His leisure was devoted to scientific study, especially the ornithology, ichthyology, and anthropology of the West Indies.

British Dictionary definitions for ornithology

ornithology

/ (ˌɔːnɪˈθɒlədʒɪ) /


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

Derived forms of ornithology

  • ornithological (ˌɔːnɪθəˈlɒdʒɪkəl), adjective
  • ornithologically, adverb
  • ornithologist, 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

Scientific definitions for ornithology

ornithology

[ ôr′nə-thŏlə-jē ]


  1. The scientific study of birds.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.