Word
abiogenous
Definition
adj. describing something that comes from nothing or is created without a parent. In science, it refers to the idea that life started from non-living matter.
adj. relating to the spontaneous generation of life from non-living matter. Often used in the context of abiogenesis, the scientific theory of how life first emerged on Earth.
Examples
“Scientists study abiogenous processes to understand how life began.”
“The theory of abiogenesis suggests that complex organic molecules formed abiogenously in the early Earth's atmosphere.”
“While modern biology has largely rejected the concept of spontaneous generation, the study of abiogenous chemical reactions remains central to understanding the transition from inorganic to organic matter.”
Examples
simple
“Scientists study abiogenous processes to understand how life began.”
contextual
“The theory of abiogenesis suggests that complex organic molecules formed abiogenously in the early Earth's atmosphere.”
complex
“While modern biology has largely rejected the concept of spontaneous generation, the study of abiogenous chemical reactions remains central to understanding the transition from inorganic to organic matter.”
Etymology
From abiogenetic + -ous.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/abiogenous