bio

The combining form bio– is used like a prefix meaning “life.” It is often used in scientific terms, especially in biology.

The form bio– comes from Greek bíos, meaning “life.” The Latin cognate of bíos is vīta, “life,” which is the source of words such as vital. Find out more at our entry for vital.

What are variants of bio-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, bio– becomes bi–, as in biome. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article for bi-.

An example of a word you may have encountered that features bio– is biography, “a written account of another person’s life.” Biography comes from Greek biographía, which uses the equivalent of the form in the language.

We know bio– means “life,” while the –graphy portion of the word refers to “writing,” from Greek –graphia. Biography literally translates to “life writing.”

What are some words that use the combining form bio-?

• bioactive
• bioaeronautics
• biobank
• biobehavioral
• biobibliography
• biocentric
• biocide
• biocycle
• biodegradable
• biodiesel
• biodot
• biodynamic
• bioecology
• bioelectricity
• bioenergy
• bioflavonoid
• biofog
• biofuel
• biogas
• biogenic
• biohazard
• bioherm
• biology (using the equivalent form of bio– in German)
• biometry
• biomorph
• biopolymer
• biorhythm
• bioscope
• biosphere
• biotech
• biotope (using the equivalent form of bio– in German)
• biowarfare
• bioweapon

What are some other forms that bio- may be commonly confused with?

• biblio-
• bin-

The combining form –logy is used to name branches of science or areas of study. With this in mind, what does biology literally mean?