biotech

IPA/ˈbaɪ.əʊ.tek/
KK[bˈaɪotˌɛk]IPA/ˈbaɪ.oʊ.tek/

biotech — noun

1. a short, everyday way of saying 'biotechnology' — the use of cells, bacteria, an

1.nounC1
Definition

a short, everyday way of saying 'biotechnology' — the use of cells, bacteria, and other living matter in factories and labs to make new medicines, foods, and farming products.

Example

Amara took a summer internship at a small biotech firm in Boston.

biotech + noun: 'biotech firm' as compound modifier

The Taipei start-up uses biotech to grow new skin for burn patients.

uncountable: 'uses biotech' with no article

Common collocations
  • biotech firm / company / start-up
  • biotech sector / industry
  • biotech research / lab
  • invest in biotech
  • biotech stocks / shares
Synonyms
  • biotechnology

    the full, more formal form; preferred in academic and legal writing

  • life sciences

    broader umbrella term covering biology, medicine, and biotech together

  • bioengineering

    narrower; focuses on designing or rebuilding biological parts

Grammar Patterns

biotech + noun (company, firm, sector)

Usage Note

Almost always uncountable, and very often placed before another noun (biotech firm, biotech sector, biotech jobs). The full word 'biotechnology' is preferred in academic writing; 'biotech' dominates in business news, job listings, and everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

She works for a biotechs in Taipei.
She works for a biotech firm in Taipei.
'biotech' is uncountable; add a noun like 'firm' or 'company' if you mean one specific business.
The biotech of plants is growing fast.
Plant biotech is growing fast.
don't use 'the … of' before this word; place the topic word in front instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe work that uses biology to make useful things, but they sit at different levels of formality and scope. 'Biotech' is the everyday short form heard in news, job ads, and stock-market talk — say 'biotech firm' or 'biotech jobs', not 'biotechnology jobs'. 'Biotechnology' is the full, formal version used in textbooks, government reports, and academic papers. 'Bioengineering' is narrower: it stresses the design and rebuilding of cells, proteins, or tissues, often with engineering tools. 'Life sciences' is the widest umbrella, covering biology, medicine, ecology, and biotech together. So a Hsinchu start-up making drugs from yeast is a 'biotech' company; the textbook chapter on the same yeast belongs in 'biotechnology'; a researcher redesigning the yeast's DNA does 'bioengineering'.

biotech ↗biotechnology ↗bioengineering ↗life sciences

Common collocations

Nouns

  • biotech firm
  • biotech company
  • biotech start-up
  • biotech sector
  • biotech industry
  • biotech research
  • biotech stocks
  • biotech jobs

Phrases

  • work in biotech
  • invest in biotech
  • the biotech sector
  • a biotech start-up

Prepositions

  • in biotech
  • into biotech

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

A clipped form of 'biotechnology', built from Greek 'bios' meaning 'life' and 'tekhnologia' meaning 'systematic treatment of an art or craft'. 'Biotechnology' itself was coined in 1919 by the Hungarian engineer Karoly Ereky to describe turning raw plant matter into useful products. The shorter 'biotech' began appearing in American business and science journalism in the 1970s, when companies started using bacteria and yeast to produce insulin and other drugs, and a faster, snappier label was needed.