entomology •\ˌen-tə-ˈmä-lə-je\• noun : the branch of zoology that studies insects The word entomology has appeared in 80 New York Times articles in the past year, including on May 24 in "Wily Cockroaches Find Another Survival Trick: Laying Off the Sweets" by James Gorman: The way the roach's senses changed, experts say, is an elegant example of quick evolutionary change in behavior, and offers the multibillion-dollar pest control industry valuable insights into enemy secrets, perhaps even revealing some clues for the fight against malaria-carrying mosquitoes, which are far more dangerous to human health than roaches. "This is a fantastic discovery," said Walter S. Leal, the head of the entomology department in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Leal was not part of the research. The Word of the Day and its definitions have been provided by Vocabulary.com and the Visual Thesaurus. Learn more about the word "entomology" and see usage examples across a range of subjects on the Vocabulary dictionary. Click on the word below to map it and hear it pronounced: