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zoologia

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word zoologia

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek ζῷον,-λογία
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Ancient Greek ζῷον (zôion)
Latin zoologia
English zoology

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [zoː.ɔˈɫɔ.ɡi.a][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [d͡zo.oˈlɔː.d͡ʒi.a][1]

Forms

zōologia f sg (genitive zōologiae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is a New Latin formation from Ancient Greek ζῷον (zôion, “animal”) + -λογία (-logía, “study”).[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In New Latin it named the science of animals.[1][2] English took it over from Modern Latin as zoology in the 1660s; with botany it became one of the two main branches of biology.[3]

Timeline

  • 1660s – English borrows it from Modern Latin as zoology.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (New Latin) Zoology, the study of animal life.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Victionarium (Latin Wiktionary), la.wiktionary.org
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Zoologia.” Etymologically, 8 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/zoologia. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·