bioterrorism

[bahy-oh-ter-uh-riz-uhm]

noun

1. terrorist acts involving the use of harmful agents and products of biological origin, as disease-producing microorganisms or toxins.

bioterrorism

¹

1. The use of biological agents as weapons of terror. Anthrax bacteria are one such agent, while smallpox is considered one of the more likely lethal viruses that could serve as a weapon of bioterror. (See germ warfare.)

bioterrorism

²

1. Terrorism that relies on spreading diseases, such as anthrax and smallpox.

Other Word Forms

• bioterrorist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bioterrorism¹

First recorded in 1980–85; bio- + terrorism

Example Sentences

Ferrer said the cuts mean she no longer has enough money for the county’s bioterrorism watch program, which monitors for outbreaks that might signal a biological attack.

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“It’s closer to bioterrorism,” he said, adding that justifies the kind of aggressive military approach the candidates were talking about.

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But to date, pulling off this sort of bioterrorism has required considerable expertise.

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Fearing bioterrorism in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the U.S. invested heavily in Bavarian Nordic and stockpiled over 20 million doses of the Jynnesos vaccine.

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She was so concerned about antimicrobial resistance, she said, that it is now on Britain’s “risk register,” along with pandemics and bioterrorism, as a security threat.

Read more on New York Times