biopiracy

[ bahy-oh-pahy-ruh-see ]

noun
  1. the commercial exploitation or monopolization of biological or genetic material, as medicinal plant extracts, usually without compensating the Indigenous peoples or countries from which the material or relevant knowledge is obtained.

Origin of biopiracy

1
First recorded in 1990–95; bio- + piracy

Other words from biopiracy

  • bi·o·pi·rate [bahy-oh-pahy-rit], /ˈbaɪ oʊˌpaɪ rɪt/, noun

Words Nearby biopiracy

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

British Dictionary definitions for biopiracy

biopiracy

/ (ˈbaɪəʊˌpaɪrəsɪ) /


noun
  1. the use of wild plants by international companies to develop medicines, without recompensing the countries from which they are taken

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