Biosynthetic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Concerned with the process of creating complex molecules from simpler precursors through biological means in living entities
2. Associated with the formation of organic compounds via the metabolic transformations occurring within living organisms
3. Relating to the generation of complex organic molecules from simpler substances through the metabolic processes in biological systems

Etymology: "Biosynthetic" is a compound built from two parts with long histories. The first, "bio-", comes from Ancient Greek "bios", meaning "life," and entered English as a combining form. The second, "synthetic," has a more involved path: it traces to Ancient Greek "sunthesis," literally a "putting together" (from "sun-," together, and "tithenai," to place), which passed through Late Latin and French "synthétique" before reaching English as "synthetic." Put together, the term describes processes in which living organisms assemble complex molecules from simpler starting materials. The Greek roots thus combine a word for life with a word for building something up from separate pieces, and English speakers needed exactly that combination once biologists began studying how cells produce compounds such as proteins and sugars.

Synonyms: biochemical, bioengineered, bioprocessed, biologically derived, synthetic

Antonyms: natural, organic, unmodified, untainted, primitive