non-biologicaladj.
/ˌnɒnbʌɪəˈlɒdʒᵻkl/, U.S. /ˌnɑnbaɪəˈlɑdʒək(ə)l/ 1. Not belonging to biology or forming part of its subject matter.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > study > [adjective] > biology > not
abiological1868
non-biological1882
abiologic1900
unbiological1950
1882 Amer. Naturalist 16 499 Men whose laurels have been won in non-biological fields.
1947 Amer. Sociol. Rev. 12 693/2 Language has an extra-somatic, non-biological, non-psychological character.
1962 F. I. Ordway et al. Basic Astronautics vi. 247 An understanding of much corollary evidence and supposition from nonbiological fields.
1995 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 16 Nov. 50/1 One of his first grants was to Pauling..to continue the non-biological research he had been doing on the structure of molecules.
2.
a. Not occurring in, involving, or relating to living organisms.
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1935 Industr. & Engin. Chem. (Analyt. ed.) 7 218/1 Dissection and examination under the microscope of non-biological material.
1956 Nature 21 Jan. 110/2 Photochemistry in higher plants and in non-biological systems.
1971 I. G. Gass et al. Understanding Earth ix. 125/1 All known extra-terrestrial environments and many geological environments are still non-biological.
1993 New Scientist 10 July 37/2 The view that carbon-based molecules in space may have a nonbiological origin.
b. Of a detergent or other cleaning product: not containing any enzymes. Opposed to biological adj. 2b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing agents > [adjective] > type of detergent
soft1956
non-biological1961
1957 P. Bonventre Physiol. Basis Toxigenicity Clostridium Botulinum Types A & B 28 Among such agents are included the detergents of non-biological origin.]
1961 P. Auger Current Trends Sci. Res. 188/2 These new substances should increasingly supersede the completely non-biological detergents manufactured in alarmingly large quantities.
1990 Which? Apr. 190/3 The advice of the National Eczema Society is to use either liquids (none of which contains bleaches) or enzyme-free ‘non-biological’ detergents.
2005 Allergy Apr. 9 (advt.) Surcare's non-biological laundry range..is specially formulated to take care of the most delicate garment of all—your birthday suit.
3. Of a person: not related by blood, or genetically, to the child, parent, guardian, etc., in question. Also: designating the relationship between a parent and child who are not genetically related.
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1954 J. M. Paton Adopted break Silence 32 A transition from being raised by non-biological parents to becoming a biological parent.
1972 R. F. R. Gardner Abortion: Personal Dilemma xxi. 189 The mother may become jealous of the relationship between her husband and his non-biological daughter.
1995 Family Relations 44 485/3 Demographic and case predictor variables include offender gender (male),..non-biological relationship (e.g. stepfather), [etc.].
2010 Washington Post (Nexis) 20 June a19 Clark found out at age 18, when her non-biological dad died, that she had been donor-conceived.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1882