entomology
[ en-tuh-mol-uh-jee ]
/ ˌɛn təˈmɒl ə dʒi /
noun
the branch of zoology dealing with insects.
OTHER WORDS FROM entomology
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH entomology
entomology etymologyWords nearby entomology
entomion,
entomo-,
entomofauna,
entomol.,
entomologize,
entomology,
entomophagous,
entomophilous,
entomostracan,
entophyte,
entopic
Example sentences from the Web for entomologist
British Dictionary definitions for entomologist
entomology
/ (ˌɛntəˈmɒlədʒɪ) /
noun
the branch of science concerned with the study of insects
Derived forms of entomology
entomological (ˌɛntəməˈlɒdʒɪkəl) or entomologic, adjective entomologically, adverb entomologist, nounMedical definitions for entomologist
entomology
[ ĕn′tə-mŏl′ə-jē ]
n.
The study of insects.
Other words from entomology
en′to•mo•log′ic (-mə-lŏj′ĭk) null adj. en′to•mol′o•gist n.Scientific definitions for entomologist
entomology
[ ĕn′tə-mŏl′ə-jē ]
The scientific study of insects.
Word History
Scientists who study insects (there are close to a million that can be studied!) are called entomologists. Why are they not called insectologists? Well, in a way they are. The word insect comes from the Latin word insectum, meaning cut up or divided into segments. (The plural of insectum, namely insecta, is used by scientists as the name of the taxonomic class that insects belong to.) This Latin word was created in order to translate the Greek word for insect, which is entomon. This Greek word also literally means cut up or divided into segments, and it is the source of the word entomology. The Greeks had coined this term for insects because of the clear division of insect bodies into three segments, now called the head, thorax, and abdomen.