Biotic
/baɪˈɒtɪk/noun
Relating to living organisms or the effects of life in an ecosystem.
Did you know?Biotic comes from Greek bios, “life,” a root that also gave us words like biology and biography, so the word literally carries the language of life into ecology.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
bíos
“life; livelihood; manner of living”
Modern Scientific Greek
Greek
biotikós
“pertaining to life or living beings”
19th Century
English
biotic
“relating to life or living organisms”
Modern English
English
biotic
“relating to living organisms or the living components of an ecosystem”
Explore more surprising origins