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biotic

[bahy-ot-ik]
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adjective
  1. pertaining to life.
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Also bi·ot·i·cal.

Origin of biotic

1590–1600; < Greek biōtikós of, pertaining to life, equivalent to biō-, verbid stem of bioûn to live + -tikos -tic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for biotic

Historical Examples

  • The Tropical barrier separates the Tamaulipan and Veracruzian biotic provinces.

    The Recent Mammals of Tamaulipas, Mexico

    Ticul Alvarez

  • Being euryphagous, crows exert a stabilizing influence on many kinds of prey and on the biotic community as a whole.

  • The major part of this biotic area lies within the Lower Sonoran Life-zone.

  • These birds are widely distributed and vary geographically without corresponding to the Biotic Provinces.

  • Biotic relations of the wood rat (Neotoma fuscipes) in the Berkeley Hills.

    American Weasels

    E. Raymond Hall

British Dictionary definitions for biotic

biotic

adjective
  1. of or relating to living organisms
  2. (of a factor in an ecosystem) produced by the action of living organismsCompare edaphic
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Word Origin

C17: from Greek biotikos, from bios life
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 biotic

adj.

"pertaining to life," 1847, in the medical sense, from Latin bioticus, from Greek biotikos "pertaining to life," from bios "life" (see bio-). Biotic factor was in use by 1907. Related: Biotical.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
biotic in Medicine

biotic

(bī-ŏt′ĭk)
adj.
  1. Relating to life or living organisms.
  2. Produced or caused by living organisms.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
biotic in Science

biotic

[bī-ŏt′ĭk]
  1. Consisting of living organisms. An ecosystem is made up of a biotic community (all of the naturally occurring organisms within the system) together with the physical environment.
  2. Associated with or derived from living organisms. The biotic factors in an environment include the organisms themselves as well as such items as predation, competition for food resources, and symbiotic relationships. Compare abiotic.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.