Etymologically
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biotechnology

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 15:31. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌbaɪ.əʊˌtɛkˈnɒl.ə.d͡ʒi/[1]
  • US: /ˌbaɪ.oʊˌtɛkˈnɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English bio- + technology,[2][3][4][5][6] after German Biotechnologie, used by K. Ereky in 1919 or earlier.[2] The OED compares the earlier biotechnics.[2] The prefix bio- goes back to Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The use of science and technology to exploit and improve living organisms for industrial and agricultural production: 1921, in the Experiment Station Record of the US Department of Agriculture.[2] Merriam-Webster dates the first use to 1920,[7] Dictionary.com to 1940–45,[5] and Etymonline to 1947.[3]

Semantic evolution

From 1933, in Nature, the word was also used for the application of technology to the practical problems of human life, the study of how people interact with machines,[2] a sense close to ergonomics;[8] Etymonline records it in 1947 as the use of machinery in relation to human needs.[3] The Shorter Oxford gives this as the original sense, and the industrial use of biological processes as the current one;[4] Etymonline dates the latter sense to 1964.[3] In the 1970s and 1980s genetic engineering, especially recombinant DNA technology, made it possible to tailor microorganisms to produce substances such as insulin, interferon and hormones on a large scale.[6] The commercial weight of the field was recognized in 1980, when the US Supreme Court ruled that genetically engineered microorganisms could be patented, and firms specializing in this work, called biotech companies or biotechs, appeared during the 1980s.[6]

Timeline

  • 1919 – German Biotechnologie, used by K. Ereky.[2]
  • 1920 – first known use according to Merriam-Webster.[7]
  • 1921 – the use of science and technology to exploit living organisms in industry and agriculture.[2]
  • 1933 – the application of technology to human needs; the study of people and machines.[2]
  • 1964 – the use of biological processes in industrial production, according to Etymonline.[3]
  • 1980 – US Supreme Court ruling that genetically engineered microorganisms can be patented.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The use of living organisms or their parts, especially through genetic engineering, to make useful products such as drugs, vaccines or improved crops.[7][8][9][10]
  2. The industrial use of microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeasts, in processes like brewing, cheese-making or waste treatment.[10][8][6]
  3. (dated) The study of how people interact with technology; ergonomics.[8][2][4]

Word family

  • biotechnical
  • biotechnological
  • biotechnologically
  • biotechnologist

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e Knowles, Elizabeth; Elliott, Julia, eds. (1997), The Oxford Dictionary of New Words, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  9. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  10. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins