ethology

American  

[ee-thol-uh-jee, ih-thol-] / iˈθɒl ə dʒi, ɪˈθɒl- /

noun

1. the study of animal behavior with emphasis on the behavioral patterns that occur in natural environments.

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ethology British  

/ ˌɛθəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, ɪˈθɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the study of the behaviour of animals in their normal environment

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ethology Scientific  

/ ĭ-thŏl′ə-jē,ē-thŏl′- /

1. The scientific study of animal behavior, especially as it occurs in a natural environment.

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Other Word Forms

• ethological adjective
• ethologically adverb
• ethologist noun

Etymology

Origin of ethology

1895–1900; earlier, as the study of relations between an organism and its environment < French éthologie, coined by French zoologist I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1805–61); see ethos, -logy

Explanation

The study of how animals behave is called ethology. If you're interested in the way baby ducks imprint on their mother (or a substitute for their mother), you might want to consider studying ethology. The general study of animals is zoology, and ethology is a branch of this science that centers on behavior. Ethology's focus is on behaviors (observed in natural environments) that evolved to help animals adapt, and this field often overlaps with psychology and the study of human behavior. The original 17th century definition of ethology was "mimicry," but by the late 1800s it came to mean "the science of character formation in animals."

Example Sentences

He discovered a new approach - called "ethology" - which prized objective study of their behaviour instead.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

This, the squishy and contentious realm of comparative psychology and cognitive ethology, asks such questions as: Do dogs experience jealousy?

From Washington Post • Jul. 1, 2022

Animal behavior has been studied for decades, by biologists in the science of ethology, by psychologists in the science of comparative psychology, and by scientists of many disciplines in the study of neurobiology.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

If it is spontaneous, the research around the ethology for canines could get really interesting.

From Salon • May 9, 2021

Tinbergen�s brother Nico had more radical ideas about ethology.

From Definition & Reality in the General Theory of Political Economy by Colignatus, Thomas