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/i(ə)r/ Noun, pl. ears 1. The organ that detects sound. It not only receives sound, but also aids in balance and body position. The ear is part of the auditory system. ( 2. The characteristic vertebrate organ of hearing and equilibrium consisting in the typical mammal of a sound-collecting outer ear separated by the tympanic membrane from a sound-transmitting middle ear that in turn is separated from a sensory inner ear by membranous fenestrae. ( 3.    a : The external ear of humans and most mammals (; the externally visible cartilaginous structure of the external ear ( Syn: auricle, pinna b : A human earlobe . ( 4.    a : The sense or act of hearing. ( b : Acuity of hearing. ( c. An ability to recognize, appreciate, and reproduce sounds, esp. music or language. (Google Dictionary) 5. Fruiting spike of a cereal plant especially corn. ( Word origin: Old English eare...

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Noun, pl. ecologies 1. Branch of biology that deals with the study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with the non-living elements of their environment. 2. Ecological science: the science concerned with the interactions of living organisms with each other and with their environment, also called bionomics. ( 3. A branch of biology that deals with the distribution, abundance and interactions of living organisms at the level of communities, populations, and ecosystems, as well as at the global scale. ( 4. The system within the environment as it relates to organisms living in it. ( 5. A branch of sociology that deals with the relations of human beings with their physical and social environment, also called as human ecology. ( 6. The scientific study of the relationships that living organisms have with each other and with their natural environment. Topics of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount (biomass), number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems. ( Word origin: From German Ökologie, from Ancient Greek οἶκος, oikos house + -λογία, -logia, study...

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ˈek-tə-ˌdərm Noun 1. The outer of the three germ layers of the embryo (the other two being mesoderm and endoderm) of a metozoan animal. Ectoderm gives rise to epidermis and neural tissue. ( 2. One of the three primary germ cell layers in the very early embryo. The other two layers are the mesoderm (middle layer) and endoderm (most proximal layer), with the ectoderm as the most exterior (or distal) layer. It emerges first and forms from the outer layer of germ cells. ( 3. The outer cellular membrane of a diploblastic animal (as a jellyfish). (Merriam – adj.,...

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ek-ˈtō-pē-ə Noun 1. A displacement or malposition of an organ or other body part. Most ectopias are congenital, but some may happen later in life. ( 2. Abnormal position of a part or organ (especially at the time of birth). ( See also...

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/ekˈtäpik/ Adjective 1. Being out of place, having an abnormal position. ( 2. Relating to ectopia. ( 3. An event occurring at an incorrect or undesirable location. Pertaining to or characterised by ectopia. (   Noun, pl. ectopics 4. An ectopic pregnancy. (Google Dictionary) Word origin: From Ancient Greek ἐκτόπιος (ektopios, “away from a place, out of place, out of the way”), from ἐκ (ek, “out”) + τόπος (topos,...

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