biology

noun

bi·​ol·​o·​gy bī-ˈä-lə-jē 

1

: a branch of knowledge that deals with living organisms and vital processes

advances in the field of biology

a biology textbook

2

a

: the plant and animal life of a region or environment

the biology of the rainforest

b

: the life processes especially of an organism or group

the biology of cancer cells

broadly : ecology

biologist

bī-ˈä-lə-jist 

noun

Examples of biology in a Sentence

advances in the field of biology

the biology of the rain forest

the biology of tumor cells

Recent Examples on the Web

More than 70 years ago, Antioch became the first community in California, joined by cities served by San Francisco’s Public Utilities Commission, to add fluoride to its public water supply, according to a history of the state’s fluoridation by UCSF emeritus professor of oral biology Ernest Newbrun. —Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024

Akoya continues to focus on its spatial biology solutions, aiming to enhance existing products and develop new offerings to drive growth and market penetration. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024

Although the exact dates of its arrival and discovery are unclear, the penny-sized bit of rock somehow found its way into a Purdue University biology department desk drawer, where faculty uncovered it in 1929. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024

All the other great startups and other people working in computational biology. —Richard Nieva, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

German Biologie, from bi- + -logie -logy

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing biology

• cell biology
• developmental biology
• evolutionary biology
• evolutionary developmental biology
• molecular biology

Kids Definition

biology

noun

bi·​ol·​o·​gy bī-ˈäl-ə-jē 

1

: a branch of knowledge that deals with living organisms and life processes

2

a

: the plant and animal life of a region or environment

b

: the life processes of an organism or group

biologist

-jəst 

noun

Etymology

from German Biologie "biology," derived from Greek bi-, bio- "life" and -logia "study, science"

Medical Definition

biology

noun

bi·​ol·​o·​gy -jē 

plural biologies

1

: a branch of science that deals with living organisms and vital processes

2

a

: the plant and animal life of a region or environment

b

: the laws and phenomena relating to an organism or group

3

: a treatise on biology