Definition

• Entomology is a branch of zoology that deals with the study of insects. It is a specialty within the field of biology that deals primarily with arthropods. There is a wide spectrum within the field, because insects, making up more than 80 percent of the entire animal species, are the dominant life form on Earth.
  
  

Word Origin

• The word itself is based in the Greek language. It combines entomos, which roughly translates to "something segmented or cut into pieces" and logia, or "the study of".
  
  

History

• Humans have been studying and interacting with insects since they began walking the Earth. Until fairly recent times, the main concentration was in the areas of agriculture and general biology. Beekeeping is a good example of this concentration. Scientific interest in insects alone is said to have developed around the 16th century.
  
  

Significance

• Because they make up such an enormous part of the life on this planet, it goes without saying that insects play important roles in various fields: ecology, botany, biomechanics, paleontology, etc. Their study is essential to better understand the often symbiotic relationship other life forms have with insects.
  
  

Fun Fact

• Entomology has made its way past the stereotype of being a nerdy science involving creepy crawlies. It played a fairly significant role in the Oscar-winning film "The Silence of the Lambs"; also, fans of the popular TV series "CSI" can tell you that Gil Grissom, one of the show's main characters, is a forensic entomologist.