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biology

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 08:49. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /baɪˈɒləd͡ʒi/ (UK); /baɪˈɑləd͡ʒi/, /baɪˌɑl(ə)ˈd͡ʒi/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from German Biologie, also used by Lamarck (French biologie) in 1802,[2][3][4] from Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life”) (see bio-) and -logy.[2][3] Etymonline notes that Treviranus in German and Lamarck in French seem to have coined it independently in 1802.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The study of human life and character: 1813, a sense now obsolete.[2][5] MWU has 1799.[6]

Semantic evolution

The science of living things is from 1819.[2][5][3] In the 1870s biology was also a name for a kind of mesmerism, electro-biology.[5] The biology of an organism, its life processes, follows.[7] Biological is from 1859.[2]

Timeline

  • 1802 – German Biologie, French biologie.[3]
  • 1813 – the study of human life (obsolete).[2][5]
  • 1819 – the science of living things.[2][5]
  • 1859 – biological.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The science of living organisms, their structure, function, growth and evolution.
  2. The life processes and characteristics of an organism or group.

Word family

  • biologist

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins