xenobiotic

American

[zen-uh-bahy-ot-ik, -bee-, zee-nuh-] / ˌzɛn ə baɪˈɒt ɪk, -bi-, ˌzi nə- /

noun

a chemical or substance that is foreign to an organism or biological system.

Etymology

Origin of xenobiotic

First recorded in 1915–20; xeno- + biotic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Those results, she said, suggest that the gut microbiota in normal-weight children may be more resilient when exposed to xenobiotic substances like BPA.

From Science Daily • Mar. 1, 2024

Exposure to emissions from both renewable and fossil diesel significantly altered the expression of genes associated with inflammatory response, xenobiotic metabolism, olfactory signalling and olfactory mucosa integrity.

From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2023

A large number of ATP molecules are used in the detoxification of xenobiotic compounds produced during cellular respiration.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Simultaneous measurement of variability in both the microbiome and the metabolome will play an important part in identifying causative mechanisms of xenobiotic metabolism.

From Nature • Jul. 5, 2016

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023