bioethics

[ bahy-oh-eth-iks ]

noun(used with a singular verb)
  1. a field of study concerned with the ethics and philosophical implications of certain biological and medical procedures, technologies, and treatments, as organ transplants, genetic engineering, and care of the terminally ill.

Origin of bioethics

1
First recorded in 1970–75; bio- + ethics

Other words from bioethics

  • bi·o·eth·i·cal, adjective
  • bi·o·eth·i·cist [bahy-oh-eth-uh-sist], /ˌbaɪ oʊˈɛθ ə sɪst/, noun

Words Nearby bioethics

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bioethics in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bioethics

bioethics

/ (ˌbaɪəʊˈɛθɪks) /


noun
  1. (functioning as singular) the study of ethical problems arising from biological research and its applications in such fields as organ transplantation, genetic engineering, or artificial insemination

Derived forms of bioethics

  • bioethical, adjective
  • bioethicist (ˌbaɪəʊˈɛθɪsɪst), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for bioethics

bioethics

[ bī′ō-ĕthĭks ]


  1. The study of the ethical and moral implications of medical research and practice.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for bioethics

bioethics

The application of ethics to the science and practice of biology, especially as modern science is applied to human life and reproduction.

Notes for bioethics

With the advent of cloning and research on embryonic stem cells, bioethics has become an important branch of scientific inquiry.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.