bioethics

[bahy-oh-eth-iks]

noun

(used with a singular verb)

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

bioethics

/ ˌbaɪəʊˈɛθɪks, ˌbaɪəʊˈɛθɪsɪst /

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

bioethics

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

bioethics

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

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

Other Word Forms

• bioethical adjective
• bioethicist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bioethics¹

First recorded in 1970–75; bio- + ethics