ethology (n.)

late 17c., "mimicry, art of depicting characters by mimic gestures," from Latin ethologia, from Greek ēthologia, from ēthos "character" (see ethos). Taken by Mill as "science of character formation" (1843); as a branch of zoology, "study of instincts," from 1897. Related: Ethological.

updated on October 29, 2018