Edit page | Page history | Printable version

biology

noun

1. [Syn. biological science] the scientific study of life

2. the branch of science concerned with the structure, function, growth, evolution, and distribution of living and non-living organisms

3. the characteristic life processes and phenomena of organisms, e.g. the biology of viruses

4. [Syn. biota] all the plants and animals of a specific region, e.g. the biology of Pennsylvania

• Biology has various sub-disciplines, e.g. Botany, the study of plants, Zoology, the study of animals; and Microbiology, the study of microorganisms.

For more info about other fields, see Branches of Biology

Word origin: from Greek: bios "life" (see bio-) and logia "study of"