- Also called: autogenesis
the hypothetical process by which living organisms first arose on earth from nonliving matter - an obsolete name for spontaneous generation
Compare biogenesis
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
a•bi•o•gen•e•sis
(ā′bī ō jen′ə sis, ab′ē ō-),USA pronunciation n. [Biol.]
a•bi•o•ge•net•ic
(ā′bī ō jə net′ik, ab′ē ō-),USA pronunciation a′bi•o•ge•net′i•cal, adj.
a′bi•o•ge•net′i•cal•ly, adv.
a•bi•og•e•nist
(ā′bī oj′ə nist, ab′ē-),USA pronunciation n.
- Biologythe now discredited theory that living organisms can arise spontaneously from inanimate matter; spontaneous generation.
- coined by T. H. Huxley in 1870 a-6 +
biogenesis
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'abiogenesis' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):