ecology

Where does the word "ecology" come from? It comes from Greek oikos, passing through German before entering English (1890s).

Ecology’s story begins in Greek: oikos meant “house, household.” Household, combined with logos (study) for the study of one's surroundings. By 1860s, the word had taken hold in German as okologie. Coined by biologist Ernst Haeckel for the study of organisms and environment. It reached English by 1890s as ecology. Settled as the English name for the science. Today, ecology means the study of the relationships between organisms and their environment.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient oikos "house, household", household, combined with logos (study) for the study of one's surroundings.
2. Stage 2 · German · 1860s okologie "the study of organisms and their environment", coined by biologist Ernst Haeckel for the study of organisms and environment.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1890s ecology "the study of organisms and their environment", settled as the English name for the science.