biotransform
|bi-o-trans-form|
🇺🇸
/ˌbaɪ.oʊ.trænsˈfɔrm/
🇬🇧
/ˌbaɪ.əʊ.trænsˈfɔːm/
change by living systems
Etymology
'biotransform' originates as a modern compound formed from the prefix 'bio-' (from Greek 'bios' meaning 'life') plus the verb 'transform' (from Latin 'transformare', meaning 'to change in shape').
'transform' comes from Latin 'transformare' (trans- 'across' + formare 'to form'), passed into Old French as 'transformer' and Middle English as 'transformen', eventually giving the modern English 'transform'; 'biotransform' is a 20th-century formation applying 'bio-' to 'transform' to denote biological modification.
Initially, 'transform' meant 'to change in shape or form'; the compounded modern term 'biotransform' narrowed that general sense to mean 'change effected by biological (living) systems or processes.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a chemical modification produced by biological activity (often used as 'biotransformation'); the process or result of biotransforming a substance.
Biotransformations play a key role in the environmental fate of pollutants.
Synonyms
Verb 1
to transform chemically by biological processes (for example, by enzymes, metabolism, or microbial action); to undergo or cause a compound to undergo biotic modification.
The liver biotransforms many drugs into more water-soluble metabolites.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/28 22:03