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  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of biotechnology

First recorded in 1940–45; bio- + technology

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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

The biotechnology company posted a quarterly loss of $20.6 million, or 14 cents a share, compared with a profit of $466.5 million, or $3.17 a share, a year earlier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Kim said he wants USC to build strong partnerships with Los Angeles industries, including entertainment, biotechnology, sports and “the new space economy.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

The effort brings together sustainability, biotechnology, materials science, data science, and artificial intelligence.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

Superluminal Medicines, a Boston-based biotechnology startup whose lead program seeks to treat rare genetic forms of obesity and hypothalamic obesity, completed a $60 million Series B round.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 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

And she anticipated “new collaborations among businesses, universities, labor, and local communities” concerning “advanced computing, biotechnologies and biomanufacturing, and clean energy technologies.”

From Washington Post ● Feb. 1, 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

But unfortunately, the United States remains ill-equipped to make decisions about certain classes of emerging crop biotechnologies before they hit the market.

From Slate ● Mar. 22, 2021

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