biosphere

noun

bio·​sphere ˈbī-ə-ˌsfir How to pronounce biosphere (audio)
1
: the part of the world in which life can exist
2
: living organisms together with their environment
biospheric
ˌbī-ə-ˈsfir-ik How to pronounce biosphere (audio)
-ˈsfer-
-ˈsfe-rik
adjective

Did you know?

The lithosphere is the solid surface of the earth (lith- meaning "rock"); the hydrosphere is the earth's water (hydro- means "water"), including the clouds and water vapor in the air; and the atmosphere is the earth's air (atmos- meaning "vapor"). The term biosphere can include all of these, along with the 10 million species of living things they contain. The biosphere recycles its air, water, organisms, and minerals constantly to maintain an amazingly balanced state; human beings should probably do their best to imitate it. Though the word has a new sound to it, it was first used over a hundred years ago.

Examples of biosphere in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In 1926, Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky, the founder and first president of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, elaborated the concept of the biosphere, a closed material cycle on a planetary scale that could be indefinitely sustained in part through life itself. Jacek Krywko, Ars Technica, 13 Sep. 2023 The challenge of our time – for designers and artist and everybody else – is to provide the biosphere with an equivalent platform. Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 Other lines of evidence point to additional post-impact benefits, including the tsunami bringing iron-rich water up from the deep, along with chemical signatures in organic matter that imply a shift in the nascent biosphere. Alka Tripathy-Lang, Ars Technica, 26 Jan. 2024 In the same way that continents with distinct biospheres host distinct flora and fauna, different regions of the galaxy could harbor different populations of stars and planets. Rebecca Boyle, Quanta Magazine, 24 Jan. 2024 Both human sources and the biosphere's natural ebb and flow of the gas, primarily from plants in the Northern Hemisphere, are evident in the visualization. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 29 Jan. 2024 Those environments might produce different populations of stars and planets in the same way that specialized flora and fauna evolve on continents with distinct biospheres. WIRED, 12 Nov. 2023 In biology there are constraints and rules that guide the behavior of the biosphere, rules that emerge in time and in the process set the stage for the next step in evolution. Adam Frank, Discover Magazine, 12 July 2023 Located about an hour and a half south of Cancun by car along the narrow strip between a biosphere reserve and the Caribbean Sea, Tulum was once mostly popular with backpackers and adventure travelers. Mackenzie Schmidt, Peoplemag, 4 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'biosphere.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Biosphäre, from bio- bio- + -sphäre -sphere

Note: Biosphäre was introduced by the Austrian geologist Eduard Suess (1831-1914) in Die Entstehung der Alpen (Vienna, 1875), p. 159.

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of biosphere was in 1899

Dictionary Entries Near biosphere

Cite this Entry

“Biosphere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biosphere. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

biosphere

noun
bio·​sphere ˈbī-ə-ˌsfi(ə)r How to pronounce biosphere (audio)
: the part of the world in which life can exist

Medical Definition

biosphere

noun
bio·​sphere ˈbī-ə-ˌsfi(ə)r How to pronounce biosphere (audio)
1
: the part of the world in which life can exist
2
: living beings together with their environment

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