biogenic

adjective
bio·​gen·​ic | \ ˌbī-ō-ˈje-nik How to pronounce biogenic (audio) \
variants: or less commonly biogenous \ bī-​ˈä-​jə-​nəs How to pronounce biogenous (audio) \

Definition of biogenic

: produced by living organisms biogenic methane formation

Examples of biogenic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The High Altitude Facial ($230), for example, incorporates a lemon cream cleanse, a papaya pineapple mask and biogenic topical serums to revitalize and smooth the skin. Sarah Kuta, The Know, "Serious self-care: A guide to Colorado’s must-visit spas," 30 July 2019 Synthetic materials such as plastics have increased, while biogenic, compostable materials such as paper and yard trimmings have decreased. Ana Baptista, The Conversation, "Is burning trash a good way to handle it? Waste incineration in 5 charts," 20 June 2019 In the European Union, only the biogenic fraction of municipal solid waste is considered renewable. Elizabeth Royte, National Geographic, "Is burning plastic waste a good idea?," 12 Mar. 2019 About 2500 are made of the biogenic atoms carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur, and hydrogen, and about 600 are actually produced by life on Earth. Daniel Clery, Science | AAAS, "Earth-sized alien worlds are out there. Now, astronomers are figuring out how to detect life on them," 1 Nov. 2017 Species far older than us, microbes mostly, have evolved over millennia to coexist with, and even to synthesize and break down, specific types of biogenic halocarbons. Rebecca Altman, The Atlantic, "How the Benzene Tree Polluted the World," 4 Oct. 2017 An analysis of graphite found in Canada's Labrador region showed that the material was biogenic — meaning it was created by living organisms. Justin Worland, Time, "Scientists Say They've Found What Could Be Oldest Life on Earth," 28 Sep. 2017 Old rocks like these are often tested for traces of biogenic graphite, a version of graphite only produced by living things. Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Researchers Find Signs of Life in 4 Billion-Year-Old Rocks," 27 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'biogenic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of biogenic

1897, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for biogenic

biogenic

adjective
bio·​gen·​ic | \ -ˈjen-ik How to pronounce biogenic (audio) \

Medical Definition of biogenic

: produced by living organisms biogenic amine metabolism in depressed patients— D. L. Murphy