biochemical

American  

[bahy-oh-kem-i-kuhl] / ˌbaɪ oʊˈkɛm ɪ kəl /

adjective

1. Rarely biochemic of or relating to the science dealing with the chemistry of living matter.

   Accurate biochemical results depend on maintaining the integrity of blood samples until analyses can be completed.

---

noun

1. a chemical existing in or obtained from living matter, or used in processes dealing with living matter.

   All the substances mentioned are biochemicals present in the human body.

Other Word Forms

• biochemically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of biochemical

bio- ( def. ) + chemical ( def. )

Explanation

Something that's biochemical relates to chemical processes that occur in living beings, like the chemical reactions in your body. You're most likely to come across the word biochemical in a science class. Biochemical processes occur in living organisms. For example, the way your body converts food into energy is biochemical, as is the way your body fights disease and responds to drugs. The word biochemistry comes from the German biochemisch, and both words combine the Greek bio, "one's life," and chemical, "relating to chemistry."

Example Sentences

Follow-up theoretical work reviewed how liquid motion inside cells may place additional limits on the values of physical constants, especially in systems involving biochemical "machines" such as molecular motors.

From Science Daily • May 8, 2026

Lavallo is referring to Ronald Breslow, a Columbia University chemist who proposed in 1958 that vitamin B1 could transform into a carbene to enable key biochemical reactions.

From Science Daily • Apr. 11, 2026

One important method involves DNA strand displacement, a biochemical process that enables precise programming of movement using specific DNA sequences labeled as "fuel" and "structure."

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

Similar to these time crystals, some biochemical processes in the body involve nonreciprocal interactions, including how the body breaks down food.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2026

At the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Marshall Nirenberg, Heinrich Matthaei, and Philip Leder used a biochemical approach to try to crack the cipher.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee