Words with the root bio
bio means “life”, from Greekbios.
15 examples of the root “bio”
- biology-logystudy of life
- biography-graphywritten account of a life
- biome-omelarge region of living things
- biotic-ticrelating to living things
- antibioticanti- + -ticagainst living microorganisms
- biodiversitydiversityvariety of life forms
- biospherespherezone where life exists
- biopsy-opsyexamination of living tissue
- biochemistrychemistrychemistry of living organisms
- biodegradabledegradableable to be broken down by life
- bioethicsethicsethics concerning living beings
- autobiographyauto- + -graphyself-written account of one's life
- symbiosissym- + -osisliving together mutually
- microbiologymicro- + -logystudy of microscopic life
- biotechnologytechnologytechnology using living organisms
How bio works
The root 'bio' typically functions as a prefix, turning nouns and adjectives into words about life or living processes. It remains stable in spelling across its combinations, though in 'symbiosis' it appears mid-word after the prefix 'sym-' (a variant of 'syn-' assimilated before 'b').
Watch out: The word 'biome' can tempt learners to see '-ome' as unrelated, but 'bio' here is genuine; more truly, 'biography' should not be confused with 'bibliograph-' words, where 'biblio-' means book, not life.
To see roots combine with other parts, try the word dissector and root builder, or test yourself in the vocabulary quiz.
Other Greek and Latin roots
- port · carry
- duct · lead
- scrib/script · write
- dict · say
- aud · hear
- vid/vis · see
- rupt · break
- mit/miss · send
- vert/vers · turn
- ped · foot
- man/manu · hand
- spec/spect · look
- cap/cept · take
- pos/pon · place
- fac/fact · make
- voc/vok · voice
- terr · earth
- aqua · water
- luc/lum · light
- nov · new
- temp · time
- mort · death
- gram/graph · write
- log/logy · word
- phon · sound
- chron · time
- geo · earth
- path · feeling
- hydr · water
- scope · look at
- therm · heat
- psych · mind
- auto · self
- tele · far
- micro · small
Questions people ask
What does the root “bio” mean?
bio means “life”. It comes from Greek (bios). The root 'bio' typically functions as a prefix, turning nouns and adjectives into words about life or living processes. It remains stable in spelling across its combinations, though in 'symbiosis' it appears mid-word after the prefix 'sym-' (a variant of 'syn-' assimilated before 'b').
What are some examples of words with the root “bio”?
biology, biography, biome, biotic, antibiotic, biodiversity, biosphere, biopsy. The full list of 15 examples, with what each one literally means, is above.
Which words look like they have the root “bio” but don’t?
The word 'biome' can tempt learners to see '-ome' as unrelated, but 'bio' here is genuine; more truly, 'biography' should not be confused with 'bibliograph-' words, where 'biblio-' means book, not life.
What is a root word?
A root is the core of a word that carries its main meaning. Many English roots come from Latin or Greek and cannot stand alone, like port (“carry”) in transport and portable.