You searched for: “entomology
entomology (noun) (no plural)
1. The branch of zoology that deals with the study of insects: The biology teacher brought in a book about entomology so the students could identify the bug that they found in their classroom.
2. Etymology: from French entomologie (1764), coined from Greek entomon, "insect" + logia, "study of".

Entomon is the neuter form of entomos, "having a notch or cut (at the waist)"; so called by Aristotle in reference to the segmented division of insect bodies.

Scientists who study insects (there are close to a million that can be studied) are called entomologists. Then why aren't they called "insectologists"? Well, 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 and literally means "cut up" or "divided into segments", and it is the source of the word entomology.

The Greeks coined this term for insects because of the division of insect bodies into three segments, now called the head, thorax, and abdomen.

—Based on information from a presentation in The American Heritage Science Dictionary, Houghton Mifflin Company; Boston; 2005.
The science that deals with insects and their environments.
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entomology, etymology
entomology (en" tuh MAHL uh jee) (noun)
The study of insects: When asked what her sister majored in at the university, Carmela replied that she studied bugs; when what she really meant to say was that her sister studied entomology.
etymology (et" uh MAHL uh jee) (noun)
The act of tracing the origins, derivations, and developments of words: Glenna became famous through her work in the etymology and use of rare words.

Etymology makes it possible to better understand the origins and meanings of words.

It is important to have an understanding of etymology in order to understand the naming of insects during one's study of entomology.

An etymologist is someone who knows the difference between etymology and entomology.

—Modified from Esar's Comic Dictionary by Evan Esar;
Doubleday & Company, Inc.; Garden City, New York; 1983; page 206.
Word Entries containing the term: “entomology
forensic entomology
The examination of insects in, on, and around human remains to assist in determining the time or location of death.

Medicolegal forensic entomology includes arthropod involvement (mostly necrophagous or corpse-eating) involving events such as murder, suicide and rape, but also includes physical abuse and contraband trafficking.

In murder investigations, it is concerned with where and when insects lay eggs; and in what order they appear in dead bodies. This can be helpful in determining the time or post mortem interval and location of the death being investigated.

This entry is located in the following units: foren-, fore- (page 2) -ology, -logy, -ologist, -logist (page 28)
General and Applied Entomology

V.A. Little, Professor Emeritus of Entomology; Texas A&M University; Harper & Row, Publishers; New York; 1972.

This entry is located in the following unit: Bibliography of Sources Regarding Habitat and Dwelling Environments (page 1)
medical entomology (s) (noun), medical entomologies (pl)
The study of insects or, more broadly, of arthropods or invertebrate creatures, that inflict harm, cause diseases, or transmit infections to humans.
This entry is located in the following unit: entomo-, entom- (page 3)
(terms restricted to the study of social insects; such as, ants and words that apply generally to entomology)
Word Entries at Get Words containing the term: “entomology
Entomology or Insect Terms
  1. An Introduction to the Study of Insects by Donald J. Borror and Dwight M. DeLong; Holt, Rinehart and Winston; New York; 1964.
  2. General and Applied Entomology by V.A. Little; Harper & Row, Publishers; New York; 1957.
  3. Insects of the World by Anthony Wootton; Blandford Press Ltd.; New York; 1984.
  4. Spiders of the World by Rod & Ken Preston-Mafham; Facts on File Publications; New York; 1984.
  5. The Ant Realm by Ross F. Hutchins; Dodd, Mead & Company; New York; 1967.
  6. The Ants by Bert Holldobler and Edward O. Wilson; The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press; Cambridge, Massachusetts; 1990.
This entry is located in the following unit: Bibliography or Lists of Glossary-Term Sources (page 1)