bioprospecting

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noun

The methodical search for novel pharmaceutical (and other) products from plants and microorganisms.

OriginEnglish prospecting ← Ancient Greek βῐο- (bĭo-) ← Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- →
UncommonScrabble 23
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Meanings

nounbioprospecting (uncountable)
  1. uncountablebiologyThe methodical search for novel pharmaceutical (and other) products from plants and microorganisms.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
bioprospection

Origin

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

From bio- + prospecting.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

bioprospecting. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bioprospecting

MLA

“bioprospecting.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bioprospecting. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bioprospecting,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bioprospecting.

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