Entomology
/ˌɛn.təˈmɑː.lə.dʒi/noun
The branch of zoology that studies insects.
Did you know?The word comes from Greek entomon, “insect,” originally meaning “cut into” or “segmented,” from en- “in” + temnein “to cut,” so the science of insects is literally named for their sliced-up bodies.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
entomon
“an insect; literally, a thing cut into segments”
Ancient Greek
Greek
entomologia
“a speaking or discourse about insects”
Late Latin
Latin
entomologia
“scholarly study of insects”
17th–18th Century
English
entomology
“the study of insects as a branch of natural history”
Modern English
English
entomology
“the scientific study of insects”