abiogenesis
Americannoun
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the theory that the earliest life forms on earth developed from nonliving matter.
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Also called spontaneous generation. the now discredited theory that living organisms can arise spontaneously from inanimate matter.
noun
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Also called: autogenesis. the hypothetical process by which living organisms first arose on earth from nonliving matter
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another name for spontaneous generation Compare biogenesis
Other Word 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.
The hypothesis views Earth itself as capable of gradually producing an organic world from an initially all-inorganic environment under harsh primordial conditions, an idea broadly consistent with earlier abiogenesis concepts.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026
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
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
Researchers at Purdue University's chemistry department have reported a recent breakthrough that lends even more evidence to abiogenesis.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2022
Those who take a monistic view of the physical world may fairly hold abiogenesis as a pious opinion, supported by analogy and defended by our ignorance.
From The Advance of Science in the Last Half-Century by Thomas Henry Huxley
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.
