e·thol·o·gy 
(ĭ-thŏlə-jē, ē-thŏl-)
(ĭ-thŏlə-jē, ē-thŏl-)n.
1. The scientific study of animal behavior, especially as it occurs in a natural environment.
2. The study of human ethos and its formation.
[French éthologie, from Latin ēthologia, art of depicting character, from Greek ēthologiā : ēthos, character; see ETHOS + logos, speech, expression; see -LOGY.]
eth′o·logi·cal (ĕth′ə-lŏjĭ-kəl) adj.
e·tholo·gist n.