biophysics

[ bahy-oh-fiz-iks ]

noun(used with a singular verb)
  1. the branch of biology that applies the methods of physics to the study of biological structures and processes.

Origin of biophysics

1
First recorded in 1890–95; bio- + physics

Other words from biophysics

  • bi·o·phys·i·cal [bahy-oh-fiz-i-kuhl], /ˌbaɪ oʊˈfɪz ɪ kəl/, adjective
  • bi·o·phys·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • bi·o·phys·i·cist [bahy-oh-fiz-uh-sist], /ˌbaɪ oʊˈfɪz ə sɪst/, noun

Words Nearby biophysics

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use biophysics in a sentence

  • There'd been a girl in his third-year biophysics class; he'd found out that she was a great-granddaughter of Force General Travis.

    The Cosmic Computer | Henry Beam Piper
  • Experiments in biophysics are conducted in the medical cave.

    LRL Accelerators | Lawrence Radiation Laboratory

British Dictionary definitions for biophysics

biophysics

/ (ˌbaɪəʊˈfɪzɪks) /


noun
  1. (functioning as singular) the physics of biological processes and the application of methods used in physics to biology

Derived forms of biophysics

  • biophysical, adjective
  • biophysically, adverb
  • biophysicist (ˌbaɪəʊˈfɪzɪsɪst), noun

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 biophysics

biophysics

[ bī′ō-fĭzĭks ]


  1. The scientific study of biological processes in terms of the laws of physics. Phenomena such as echolocation in bats and the stresses and strains in skeletal and muscular structures are analyzed and explained in biophysics.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for biophysics

biophysics

The study of living things using the techniques of physics.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.