✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate Dictionary — Buy Now!

-biosis

noun combining form

plural -bioses
: mode of life
parabiosis

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek biōsis, from bioun to live, from bios life — more at quick entry 1

Browse Nearby Words

biosignature
-biosis
biosocial
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“-biosis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/-biosis. Accessed 26 Nov. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What’s the difference between ‘cemetery’ and ‘graveyard’?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Are you in a 'food coma'?

The Words of the Week - Nov. 21

17 Words for Dog Breeds

Words That Turned 100 in 2025

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language
See More

Popular

See More

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

Are you in a 'food coma'?

The Words of the Week - Nov. 21
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-633b10471e2d4
Name That Thing MegaQuiz: Vol. 2 Test your visual vocabulary!
See All