abiogenesis
Americannoun
-
the theory that the earliest life forms on earth developed from nonliving matter.
-
Also called spontaneous generation. the now discredited theory that living organisms can arise spontaneously from inanimate matter.
noun
-
Also called: autogenesis. the hypothetical process by which living organisms first arose on earth from nonliving matter
-
another name for spontaneous generation Compare biogenesis
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of abiogenesis
a- 6 + biogenesis; coined by T. H. Huxley in 1870
Compare meaning
How does abiogenesis compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Abiogenesis is the scientific hypothesis that life on Earth may have originated from non-living matter. The concept of abiogenesis suggests that the first living organisms arose when simple molecules, including water, combined to form simple organic compounds, such as amino acids, through a gradual process of increasing complexity. There are different ideas about what environments may have supported this process. One theory is that it occurred in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Another is that it may have occurred in icy or frozen regions of early Earth. The word abiogenesis is built from Greek roots: a-, meaning "not," bio-, meaning "life," and genesis, meaning "origin."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On the surface, the idea of abiogenesis does seem illogical, and the timescales — millions and billions of years — are barely comprehendible to the human mind.
From Salon • Oct. 7, 2022
Researchers at Purdue University's chemistry department have reported a recent breakthrough that lends even more evidence to abiogenesis.
From Salon • Oct. 7, 2022
When the solution was analyzed, it was discovered to contain many of the specific amino acids necessary for life, giving weight to the abiogenesis theory.
From Salon • Oct. 7, 2022
These scientific priorities could be to do with the details of abiogenesis - the transitiion from non-living to 'living' chemical systems and the role of polymers like RNA.
From Scientific American • Aug. 7, 2015
A physicist less famous than Huxley, Schwann, some half a century before Huxley’s day, is said to have been the first to criticize the abiogenesis doctrine as supported by no sufficient evidence.
From Social Transformations of the Victorian Age A Survey of Court and Country by Escott, T. H. S. (Thomas Hay Sweet)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
