SINCE 1828
biotechnology
noun
bio·tech·nol·o·gy
| \ ˌbī-ō-tek-ˈnä-lə-jē
\
\
Definition of biotechnology
1
: the manipulation (as through genetic engineering) of living organisms or their components to produce useful usually commercial products (such as pest resistant crops, new bacterial strains, or novel pharmaceuticals)
also
: any of various applications of biological science used in such manipulation
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Other Words from biotechnology
biotechnological
\ ˌbī-ō-ˌtek-nə-ˈlä-ji-kəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
biotechnologically
\ ˌbī-ō-ˌtek-nə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
biotechnologist
\ ˌbī-ō-tek-ˈnä-lə-jist
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of biotechnology in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Those applicants for Ivanka trademarks include farm-equipment manufacturers, asset managers, electronics makers and biotechnology firms. — Gerry Shih, The Seattle Times, "China greenlights large batch of Ivanka Trump trademark applications," 6 Nov. 2018 As a result, several Lipper fund categories had a robust month: Science and technology funds were up 5.4% (and now nearly 16% so far this year), and health/biotechnology was up 5.5% (and 18% for the year). — William Power, WSJ, "U.S.-Stock Funds Rose 3.1% in August, Adding To Their Global Lead," 9 Sep. 2018 The laws that cover biotechnology have not been significantly updated in decades, forcing regulators to rely on outdated frameworks to govern new technologies. — Emily Baumgaertner, BostonGlobe.com, "As gene editing spreads, risk of biological weapons looms," 16 May 2018 The laws that cover biotechnology have not been significantly updated in decades, forcing regulators to rely on outdated frameworks to govern new technologies. — Emily Baumgaertner, New York Times, "As D.I.Y. Gene Editing Gains Popularity, ‘Someone Is Going to Get Hurt’," 14 May 2018 But biotechnologies are dual-use — they can be used for both good and ill. — R. Daniel Bressler, Vox, "“Designer bugs”: how the next pandemic might come from a lab," 6 Dec. 2018 As this biotechnology continues to advance, what kind of a role does the government need to play? — WSJ, "Sonny Perdue Talks Trade and the Farm Outlook," 2 Oct. 2018 Unfortunately, biotechnology is rarely discussed in connection with climate-change mitigation, possibly because the two communities, atmospheric scientists and genetic engineers, do not usually speak to one another — but stay tuned. — New York Times, "Readers Respond to the 4.22.18 Issue," 4 May 2018 Several unprofitable Chinese biotechnology startups, including Ascletis Pharma Inc. and BeiGene Ltd. , have listed in Hong Kong this year after the city’s bourse revamped its rules. — Joanne Chiu, WSJ, "Chinese Drug Researcher Kicks Off $1 Billion Hong Kong Listing," 28 Nov. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'biotechnology.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for biotechnology
biotechnology
noun
English Language Learners Definition of biotechnology
: the use of living cells, bacteria, etc., to make useful products (such as crops that insects are less likely to destroy or new kinds of medicine)
See the full definition for biotechnology in the English Language Learners Dictionary
biotechnology
noun
bio·tech·nol·o·gy
| \ ˌbī-ō-tek-ˈnä-lə-jē
\
\
Kids Definition of biotechnology
: the use of techniques from genetics to combine inherited characteristics selected from different kinds of organisms into one organism in order to produce useful products (as drugs)
biotechnology
noun
bio·tech·nol·o·gy
| \ -tek-ˈnäl-ə-jē
\
\
plural biotechnologies
Medical Definition of biotechnology
1
: the manipulation (as through genetic engineering) of living organisms or their components to produce useful usually commercial products (as novel pharmaceuticals)
also
: any of various applications of biological science used in such manipulation
2
: ergonomics
Other Words from biotechnology
biotechnological
\ -ˌtek-nə-ˈläj-i-kəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
biotechnologically
\ -k(ə-)lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
biotechnologist
\ -tek-ˈnäl-ə-jəst
\
noun
\
noun
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