zoology

noun

zo·​ol·​o·​gy zō-ˈä-lə-jē How to pronounce zoology (audio) zə-ˈwä- How to pronounce zoology (audio)
1
: a branch of biology concerned with the classification and the properties and vital phenomena of animals
2
a
: animal life (as of a region) : fauna
b
: the properties and vital phenomena exhibited by an animal, animal type, or group
zoologist
zō-ˈä-lə-jist How to pronounce zoology (audio)
zə-ˈwä-
noun

Examples of zoology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Like Sam—a vegan zoology student who loves and suffers over animals, protecting and comforting himself with a cocoon of facts about them—we’re going to be keeping a sharp eye out for the details, behaviors, and rituals of this subspecies of mammals. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2024 Fiorella Vásquez, a research assistant at the Zoology Museum, and Janet Voight, associate curator of invertebrate zoology at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, then set out to classify the creatures. Ashley Balzer Vigil, Scientific American, 16 Jan. 2024 Bartram was thus a trailblazer in a stunning array of disciplines: botany, ecology, zoology, ethnography, ornithology. Kiley Bense, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024 There’s physics here, certainly, but also bits of zoology, biology, anthropology, linguistics and geology, as well as music and literature. Timothy Farrington, WSJ, 4 Jan. 2024 Studio Heimat recently worked with clients in Mission Dolores, Calif., to incorporate their interests in geology and zoology into their home’s interior design. San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2023 Evelyn attended New York public schools and studied zoology at New York University. Clay Risen, New York Times, 14 July 2023 On campus there are 160 undergraduate majors across 15 colleges, from aerospace engineering to molecular genetics to real estate and urban analysis to zoology. Leena Kim, Town & Country, 3 Aug. 2023 Aggie began her PhD studies in zoology at the University of Chicago in 1946, while also working at the Metallurgical Laboratory, which would become Argonne National Lab. Monica Lopez, Scientific American, 27 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'zoology.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin zoologia "study of animals" (in early use often in reference to animals as the source of medicines), from zoo- zoo- + -logia -logy

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of zoology was in 1663

Dictionary Entries Near zoology

Cite this Entry

“Zoology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zoology. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

zoology

noun
zo·​ol·​o·​gy zō-ˈäl-ə-jē How to pronounce zoology (audio) zə-ˈwäl- How to pronounce zoology (audio)
: a branch of biology concerned with the animal kingdom and animal life

Medical Definition

zoology

noun
zo·​ol·​o·​gy zō-ˈäl-ə-jē How to pronounce zoology (audio)
plural zoologies
1
: a branch of biology that deals with the classification and the properties and vital phenomena of animals
2
: the properties and vital phenomena exhibited by an animal, animal type, or group

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