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abiogenesis - 6 dictionary results
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a⋅bi⋅o⋅gen⋅e⋅sis
[ey-bahy-oh-jen-uh-sis, ab-ee-oh-] 
baɪ
–noun Biology.
| the now discredited theory that living organisms can arise spontaneously from inanimate matter; spontaneous generation. |
Related forms:
a⋅bi⋅o⋅ge⋅net⋅ic [ey-bahy-oh-juh-net-ik, ab-ee-oh-] , a⋅bi⋅o⋅ge⋅net⋅i⋅cal, adjective
[ey-bahy-oh-juh-net-ik, ab-ee-oh-] , a⋅bi⋅o⋅ge⋅net⋅i⋅cal, adjective a⋅bi⋅o⋅ge⋅net⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
a⋅bi⋅og⋅e⋅nist [ey-bahy-oj-uh-nist, ab-ee-] , noun
[ey-bahy-oj-uh-nist, ab-ee-] , noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To abiogenesis
| a·bi·o·gen·e·sis (ā'bī-ō-jěn'ĭ-sĭs) n. The supposed development of living organisms from nonliving matter. Also called autogenesis, spontaneous generation. a'bi·o·ge·net'ic (-jə-nět'ĭk), a'bi·o·ge·net'i·cal adj., a'bi·o·ge·net'i·cal·ly adv., a'bi·og'e·nist (-ŏj'ə-nĭst) n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Abiogenesis
Ab`i*o*gen"e*sis\, n. [Gr. 'a priv. + ? life + ?, origin, birth.] (Biol.) The supposed origination of living organisms from lifeless matter; such genesis as does not involve the action of living parents; spontaneous generation; -- called also abiogeny, and opposed to biogenesis. I shall call the . . . doctrine that living matter may be produced by not living matter, the hypothesis of abiogenesis. --Huxley, 1870.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Main Entry: abio·gen·e·sis
Pronunciation: "A-"bI-O-'jen-&-s&s
Function: noun
: the supposed spontaneous origination of livingorganisms directly from lifeless matter called also spontaneous generation; —compare BIOGENESIS —abi·og·e·nist /"A-(")bI-'äj-&-n&st/ or abio·gen·e·sist /-"bI-O-'jen-&-s&st/ noun
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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| abiogenesis (ā'bī-ō-jěn'ĭ-sĭs) Pronunciation Key
See spontaneous generation. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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abiogenesis
the hypothetical process by which living organisms develop from nonliving matter; also, the archaic theory that utilizes this process to explain the origin of life. Pieces of cheese and bread wrapped in rags and left in a dark corner, for example, were thus thought to produce mice, according to this theory, because after several weeks, there were mice in the rags. Many believed in spontaneous generation because it explained such occurrences as the appearance of maggots on decaying meat.
Learn more about abiogenesis with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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