biological

or bi·o·log·ic

[bahy-uh-loj-i-kuh l or bahy-uh-loj-ik]

See more synonyms for biological on Thesaurus.com

adjective

pertaining to biology.
of or relating to the products and operations of applied biology: a biological test.

noun

Pharmacology. any substance, as a serum or vaccine, derived from animal products or other biological sources and used to treat or prevent disease.

Origin of biological

First recorded in 1855–60; biolog(y) + -ical

Related formsbi·o·log·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·bi·o·log·i·cal, adjectivenon·bi·o·log·i·cal·ly, adverbpseu·do·bi·o·log·i·cal, adjectivepseu·do·bi·o·log·i·cal·ly, adverbsem·i·bi·o·log·ic, adjectivesem·i·bi·o·log·i·cal, adjectivesem·i·bi·o·log·i·cal·ly, adverbun·bi·o·log·i·cal, adjectiveun·bi·o·log·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

organic life living

Examples from the Web for biological

Contemporary Examples

Eating disorders, on the other hand, are driven largely by biological processes that occur on the inside.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models
Carrie Arnold
January 8, 2015
We also have a growing body of biological research showing that fathers, like mothers, are hard-wired to care for children.
How Good Dads Can Change the World
Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman
January 6, 2015
Gender roles exceed the biological circumstances of childbirth and they are, perhaps, much less likely to change.
Men Will Someday Have Kids Without Women
Samantha Allen
January 3, 2015
Imagining novels as biological specimens creates a crazed and mythic zoology of hybrids, beasts, mutants, and aberrations.
The Birth of the Novel
Nick Romeo
November 27, 2014
It stands for the proposition that the biological basis of procreation should also be the sole organizing principle of society.
Is Pope Francis Backpedaling on Gays?
Jay Michaelson
November 19, 2014

Historical Examples

We must face sex problems with biological and historical knowledge.
The Truth About Woman
C. Gasquoine Hartley
But the biological objection to any such proposition is not far to seek.
The Truth About Woman
C. Gasquoine Hartley
Much has been said in justification of this view of war from the biological point of view.
Mountain Meditations
L. Lind-af-Hageby
Hybrids are regarded as inferior creatures, as biological outlaws.
Mountain Meditations
L. Lind-af-Hageby
This, we know, is the biological law, and Khalid must suffer under it.
The Book of Khalid
Ameen Rihani

British Dictionary definitions for biological

biological

archaic biologic

adjective

of or relating to biology
(of a detergent) containing enzymes said to be capable of removing stains of organic origin from items to be washed

noun

(usually plural) a drug, such as a vaccine, that is derived from a living organism

Derived Formsbiologically, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for biological

adj.

1840, from biology + -ical. Biological clock attested from 1955; not especially of human reproductive urges until c.1991. Related: Biologically.

biological in Medicine

biological

(bī′ə-lŏj′ĭ-kəl)

adj.

Of, relating to, caused by, or affecting life or living organisms.
Having to do with biology.
Related by blood, as in a child's biological parents.

biological

or bi·o·log·ic

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Related Words

Examples from the Web for biological

Contemporary Examples

Eating disorders, on the other hand, are driven largely by biological processes that occur on the inside.

We also have a growing body of biological research showing that fathers, like mothers, are hard-wired to care for children.

Gender roles exceed the biological circumstances of childbirth and they are, perhaps, much less likely to change.

Imagining novels as biological specimens creates a crazed and mythic zoology of hybrids, beasts, mutants, and aberrations.

It stands for the proposition that the biological basis of procreation should also be the sole organizing principle of society.

Historical Examples

We must face sex problems with biological and historical knowledge.

But the biological objection to any such proposition is not far to seek.

Much has been said in justification of this view of war from the biological point of view.

Hybrids are regarded as inferior creatures, as biological outlaws.

This, we know, is the biological law, and Khalid must suffer under it.

biological

archaic biologic

Word Origin and History for biological

adj.

biological

Origin of biological