biotechnology

American  

[bahy-oh-tek-nol-uh-jee] / ˌbaɪ oʊ tɛkˈnɒl ə dʒi /

noun

• biotechnologies
  plural

1. the use of living organisms or other biological systems in the manufacture of drugs or other products or for environmental management, as in waste recycling: includes the use of bioreactors in manufacturing, microorganisms to degrade oil slicks or organic waste, genetically engineered bacteria to produce human hormones, and monoclonal antibodies to identify antigens.

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biotechnology British  

/ ˌbaɪəʊˌtɛknəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, ˌbaɪəʊtɛkˈnɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. (in industry) the technique of using microorganisms, such as bacteria, to perform chemical processing, such as waste recycling, or to produce other materials, such as beer and wine, cheese, antibiotics, and (using genetic engineering) hormones, vaccines, etc

2. another name for ergonomics

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biotechnology Scientific  

/ bī′ō-tĕk-nŏl′ə-jē /

1. The use of a living organism to solve an engineering problem or perform an industrial task. Using bacteria that feed on hydrocarbons to clean up an oil spill is one example of biotechnology.

2. The use of biological substances or techniques to engineer or manufacture a product or substance, as when cells that produce antibodies are cloned in order to study their effects on cancer cells.

3. See more at genetic engineering

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• biotechnologist
  noun
• biotechnical
  adjective
• biotechnological
  adjective
• biotechnologically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• biotechnologies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of biotechnology

First recorded in 1940–45; bio- + technology

Explanation

Biotechnology may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but it's a real area of science that deals with the overlap of engineering and biology. The Greek root bio- means "life," so biotechnology is "life technology" — technology that uses living things in products or processes, or that which focuses on designing things to benefit humans (living things) biologically. Vaccines, genetically modified foods, biofuels, and DNA fingerprinting are all examples of biotechnology. Ergonomics — designing equipment that reduces workers' discomfort, stress, or fatigue — is also often considered a branch of biotechnology, as it's technology developed to make our lives better from a biological perspective.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

biotechnology biotechnologies

Johnson & Johnson also completed its acquisition of Firefly Bio, a biotechnology company, for $1 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Funding from MetaCurUm Biotech AB, a biotechnology company based in Umeå, was essential for developing and testing the treatment.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

These include one from biotechnology company Moderna using their mRNA vaccine technology.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

The deal for the privately held U.K.-based biotechnology firm will help bolster Novartis’s oncology capabilities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

The story went on to say, “The federal government is permitting a California biotechnology company to license three experimental cancer drugs from Cuba—making an exception to the policy of tightly restricting trade with that country.”

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

A microscopic discovery will not only enable scientists to understand the microbial world around us but could also provide a new way to control CRISPR-Cas biotechnologies.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2023

To better protect its relatively open market, the European Commission wants the member states to immediately carry out risk assessments of its most sensitive industries, including advanced semiconductor, artificial intelligence, quantum and biotechnologies.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 3, 2023

The final batch, which the company described as worth “several billions of dollars,” would go toward biotechnologies developing new drugs designed to bolster competitiveness in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 26, 2022

Or we can reject our new biotechnologies and risk losing everything that we claim to protect.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 5, 2021

Many agricultural biotechnologies have absolutely nothing to do with gene sequence or even gene expression, like targeted protein degradation methods that are already in commercial development.

From Slate ● Mar. 22, 2021