bi·o·gen·e·sis (bī'ō-jĕn'ĭ-sĭs) also bi·og·e·ny (bī-ŏj'ə-nē)
n.

1. The principle that living organisms develop only from other living organisms and not from nonliving matter.
2. Generation of living organisms from other living organisms.
3. See biosynthesis.
4. The supposed recurrence of the evolutionary stages of a species during the embryonic development and differentiation of a member of that species. Also called recapitulation.

biogenetic bi'o·ge·net'ic (-jə-nĕt'ĭk) or bi'o·ge·net'i·cal (-ĭ-kəl) adj.
biogenetically bi'o·ge·net'i·cal·ly adv.

---

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

---