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biology

n.
US //baɪˈɑɫədʒi// UK //baɪˈɒlədʒi// bi·ol·o·gy
  1. 1 scientific study (n.)
    A2 Elementary Science

    the scientific study of living things like plants and animals.

    the branch of science that deals with living organisms and their vital processes.

    Example

    She decided to study biology at university because she loved learning about animals.

    Example

    Advances in molecular biology have allowed researchers to understand the genetic basis of many hereditary diseases with unprecedented precision.

    Usage

    Uncountable when referring to the academic subject or field of study.
    • life science
  2. 2 organism characteristics (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Science

    the way a specific living thing works or behaves.

    the physiological, anatomical, and behavioural characteristics of a particular organism or species.

    Example

    The biology of the desert fox helps it survive in very hot weather.

    Example

    Understanding the reproductive biology of this endangered species is critical for the success of the captive breeding programme.

    Usage

    Often used with a possessive or 'of' phrase to specify the organism.
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  1. 3 regional life (n.)
    C1 Advanced Academic Science

    all the living things found in a certain area.

    the collective living organisms of a specific geographic region or environment.

    Example

    Scientists are worried that the local biology is changing because of the new dam.

    Example

    The unique biology of the Galapagos Islands provided Darwin with the essential evidence needed to formulate his theory of natural selection.
Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃-der. Ancient Greek βίος (bíos) Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- Ancient Greek λόγος (lógos) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek -λογῐ́ᾱ (-logĭ́ā)bor. New Latin -logia New Latin biologialbor. English biology Borrowed from New Latin biologia (1766), itself from Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “bio-, life”) + -λογία (-logía, “-logy, branch of study, to speak”). By surface analysis, bio- + -logy. In English, first attested in the modern meaning in the work of English physician Thomas Beddoes in 1799. The term is also recorded in the sense of a biographical history in the work of Dudley Loftus in 1686, but this is considered by the Oxford English Dictionary to be an isolated use. The modern Greek βιολογία (viología) is borrowed from the English term and French biologie via international scientific vocabulary. Piecewise doublet of zoology.

Word family

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