Biosynthesize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To manufacture a chemical compound within a living cell or organism through metabolic pathways and enzymatic reactions
2. To generate a molecule or substance inside a living system by means of biochemical synthesis and natural metabolic processes
3. To create a chemical product within an organism through the coordinated action of biological catalysts and metabolic mechanisms

Etymology: Biosynthesize is a plain modern formation: "biosynthesis" with the verb-forming suffix "-ize" added. The first part, "bio-", comes from ancient Greek "bíos", meaning "life", and the second part, "synthesis", comes from ancient Greek "súnthesis", meaning "putting together", formed from "sún" ("together") and "thésis" ("placing"). English took "synthesis" directly from Latin in its own right, and "biosynthesis" was built on top of it. The suffix has a longer road. The ending "-ize" traces back through Late Latin "-izare" and Greek "-ízō" to an ancient verb-forming element, passing into Middle French as "-iser" and then into Middle English as "-isen" before settling into modern English spelling. So "biosynthesize" is, in effect, a modern compound assembled from old Greek parts: to make something by living processes, to build up a substance from simpler components within a living organism.

Synonyms: synthesize