biosignature

B3I1O1S1I1G2N1A1T1U1R1E1

noun

Any measurable phenomenon that indicates the presence or probable presence of life.

OriginEnglish signature ← Ancient Greek βῐο- (bĭo-) ← Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- →
Scrabble 15
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounbiosignature (plural biosignatures)

plural biosignatures

  1. especially astrobiologybiologyAny measurable phenomenon that indicates the presence or probable presence of life.

    The team say dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide are molecules from the same chemical family, and could be ‘biosignatures’.

    2025 April 17, Iain Todd, “Astronomers have found the ‘most promising signs yet’ of alien life on a planet beyond our Solar System”, in BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Origin

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

From bio- + signature.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

biosignature. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biosignature

MLA

“biosignature.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biosignature. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “biosignature,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biosignature.

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