TELEOLOGY


Meaning of TELEOLOGY in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˌte-lē-ˈä-lə-jē, ˌtē- ]

noun

Etymology: New Latin teleologia, from Greek tele-, telos end, purpose + -logia -logy — more at wheel

Date: 1740

1.

a. : the study of evidences of design in nature

b. : a doctrine (as in vitalism) that ends are immanent in nature

c. : a doctrine explaining phenomena by final causes

2. : the fact or character attributed to nature or natural processes of being directed toward an end or shaped by a purpose

3. : the use of design or purpose as an explanation of natural phenomena

• tel·e·ol·o·gist -jist noun

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.