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Where does the word "biology" come from? It comes from Greek bios, passing through German before entering English (1800s).
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Where does the word "biology" come from? It comes from Greek bios, passing through German before entering English (1800s).
Biology’s story begins in Greek: bios meant “life.” Life, combined with logos (study) for the study of living things. By 1800s, the word had taken hold in German as biologie. Coined by German naturalists for the emerging science of life. It reached English by 1800s as biology. Settled as the English name for the science. Today, biology means the scientific study of living organisms.
- Stage 1 · Greek · ancient bios "life", life, combined with logos (study) for the study of living things.
- Stage 2 · German · 1800s biologie "the science of living organisms", coined by German naturalists for the emerging science of life.
- Stage 3 · English · 1800s biology "the science of living organisms", settled as the English name for the science.