bioassay

[ noun bahy-oh-uh-sey, -as-ey; verb bahy-oh-uh-sey ]

/ noun ˌbaɪ oʊ əˈseɪ, -ˈæs eɪ; verb ˌbaɪ oʊ əˈseɪ /

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noun

determination of the biological activity or potency of a substance, as a vitamin or hormone, by testing its effect on the growth of an organism.

verb (used with object), bi·o·as·sayed, bi·o·as·say·ing.

to subject to a bioassay.

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Origin of bioassay

First recorded in 1910–15; bio(logical) + assay

Words nearby bioassay

bioactive, bioactivity, bioaeration, bioaeronautics, bioarchaeology, bioassay, bioastronautics, bioautography, bioavailability, biobank, biobehavioral

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for bioassay

bioassay

noun (ˌbaɪəʊəˈseɪ, -ˈæseɪ)

a method of determining the concentration, activity, or effect of a change to substance by testing its effect on a living organism and comparing this with the activity of an agreed standard

verb (ˌbaɪəʊəˈseɪ)

(tr) to subject to a bioassay

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 bioassay

bioassay

[ bī′ō-ăs′ā′, -ă-sā′ ]

Determination of the relative purity of a substance, such as a drug or hormone, by comparing its effects with those of a standard preparation on a culture of living cells or a test organism.

A test used to determine such purity.