Biomarker

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbaɪoʊˌmɑɹkɚ/

Definitions

1. A measurable biological indicator that reflects an organism's health status, disease presence, or treatment response
2. An indicator used to signify the presence or progression of disease, or to monitor response to therapeutic interventions
3. A biological measure detectable in an organism that signals normal or pathological processes or responses to therapy

Etymology: The word is a modern compound, built from two parts with very different histories. "Bio-" comes from Ancient Greek "bíos", meaning "life", which is where the Greek combining form "bio-" for living things and their processes comes from. "Marker" is an English word formed from "mark" with the agent suffix "-er", a suffix that passed into English through Old French and Latin. Neither half was made for this sense. The first part is a classical Greek root that scientists later pressed into service for biology, and "mark" is an ordinary Germanic word for a visible sign. Joined together, they describe something that marks life, or a sign that reveals what a living body is doing. The compound is a technical coinage from the modern era, not a word that existed in ancient or medieval English.

Synonyms: indicator, sign, signal, measure, marker