biofuel

B3I1O1F4U1E1L1
UK/ˈbaɪ.əʊˌfjʊ(.ə)l/

noun

Any fuel that is obtained from a renewable biological resource, especially from biomass.

Similar
biomass
OriginEnglish fuel ← Ancient Greek βῐο- (bĭo-) ← Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- →
Less commonScrabble 12
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Meanings

nounbiofuel (countable and uncountable, plural biofuels)

plural biofuels

  1. countableuncountableAny fuel that is obtained from a renewable biological resource, especially from biomass.

    Even second-generation biofuels, made from crop wastes or wood, are an environmental disaster, either extending the cultivated area or removing the straw and stovers which protect the soil from erosion and keep carbon and nutrients in the ground.

    2012 August 24, George Monbiot, Guardian Weekly, page 20
    1 more example

    The Environmental Protection Agency announced proposed changes to its biofuels program Tuesday to spur more biofuel use and crack down on waivers issued to refineries by the Trump administration, notching a win for the biofuels industry and farmers and a blow to oil refineries.

    2021 December 7, Ella Nilsen, “EPA proposes changes to its biofuels program, notching a win for the industry and farmers”, in CNN

    Synonyms: biomass

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAny fuel that is obtained from a renewable biological resource, especially from biomass.

Similar
biomass

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*gʷeyh₃-
  2. Ancient Greekβῐ́ος (bĭ́os)
  3. Ancient Greekβῐο- (bĭo-)
  4. Englishbio-
  5. Englishfuel
  6. Englishbiofuel

From bio- + fuel.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 生態燃料 /生态燃料, 生物燃料
  • 生態燃料 /生态燃料 (shēngtài ránliào)biofuel
  • 生物燃料 (shēngwù ránliào)biofuel
  • 生質燃料 /生质燃料 (shēngzhì ránliào)biofuel
Czech biopalivo
  • biopalivobiofuel
Danish biobrændsel
  • biobrændselbiofuel
Estonian biokütus
  • biokütusbiofuel
Finnish biopolttoaine
  • biopolttoainebiofuel
German Biosprit, Biokraftstoff
  • Biospritbiofuel
  • Biokraftstoffbiofuel
Greek βιοκαύσιμο
  • βιοκαύσιμο (viokáfsimo)biofuel
Irish bithbhreosla
  • bithbhreoslabiofuel
Norwegian Bokmål biodrivstoff
  • biodrivstoffbiofuel
Polish biopaliwo
  • biopaliwobiofuel
Portuguese biocombustível
  • biocombustívelbiofuel
Romanian biocombustibil
  • biocombustibilbiofuel
Russian биото́пливо
  • биото́пливо (biotóplivo)biofuel
Spanish biocombustible, biocarburante
  • biocombustiblebiofuel
  • biocarburantebiofuel
Swedish biobränsle
  • biobränslebiofuel
Turkish biyoyakıt
  • biyoyakıtbiofuel
Welsh biodanwydd
  • biodanwyddbiofuel
Cite this entry
APA

biofuel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biofuel

MLA

“biofuel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biofuel. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “biofuel,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biofuel.

Source: biofuel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.