Prefix · life / biological
Signals relation to life or biological processes: biology, biography, biodiversity, biofuel.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Bio- comes from Greek "bios" (life) and signals a relation to life, living organisms, or biological processes: biology = the study of life; biography = the account of a life; biotechnology = technology based on living processes; biodiversity = the variety of living forms; biochemistry = the chemistry of living organisms. It is the prefix of everything related to living things.
In modern use, bio- has expanded into everyday language: bio = a personal introduction text (on social media profiles); biometric = measuring physical characteristics of individuals (fingerprint, iris); biofuel = fuel made from organic matter. The prefix remains highly productive across science, technology, and informal usage.
Attaches to scientific nouns and adjectives. Identical in Spanish and English:
Pronunciation: /baɪəʊ/, with the "i" and "o" clearly distinct. Identical in Spanish and English.
bio-/baɪəʊ/
Tap the button to hear how the prefix sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
Bio- (life) + graphy (writing). In "biography," someone else does the writing. In "autobiography," the prefix auto- (self) adds the idea that the subject writes about their own life.
"Biodegradable" only means the material can be decomposed by living organisms. Some biodegradable materials release harmful substances as they break down. It is not a synonym for "eco-friendly" or "safe."
A trick to remember it
Bio- = "life": biology = the science of life, biography = the story of a life, biodiversity = the variety of life, biofuel = fuel from living matter. Any scientific field can combine with bio- to signal its biological dimension: biochemistry, biophysics, bioinformatics.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"She used her fingerprint as a ___ identifier to unlock her phone instead of typing a code."
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
What is the difference between "biography" and "autobiography"?
The prefix bio- signals relation to life or biological processes: biology, biography, biodiversity, biofuel. In Spanish it usually maps to bio-.
The prefix bio- is pronounced /baɪəʊ/. For example, "biology".
"logy" becomes "biology". It is a typical example of the bio- prefix.
un-, re-, pre-, dis-, over-, in-... every beginning you need to unlock thousands of English words at once.