Word.ws English Dictionary

prebiotic

UK/pɹiːbaɪˈɒtɪk/

prebiotic adjective: before the advent of life.

Adjective

prebiotic (not comparable)

  1. Before the advent of life.
    • There are three compelling reasons that suggest that the first set of prebiotic coding sequences to be translated were repeats of base oligomers, the numbers of bases in oligomeric units not being multiples of three.1986, Herrick Baltscheffsky, Hans Jornvall, Rudolf Rigler, Molecular Evolution of Life, →ISBN, page 43
    • As a result, studies of uncoded peptide bond formation are founded in using NCAs as substrates (even when obtained as the reactive species of the non-prebiotic CDI activation) for mimicking prebiotic processes.2005, Peter Walde, Laurent Boiteau, Prebiotic Chemistry: From Simple Amphiphiles to Protocell Models, →ISBN
  2. Of a food, not digestible, but beneficial.
    • The table below includes plant foods we consider to be prebiotic “stars” since they are the foods listed in the scientific literature as sources of prebiotics.2009, Jo Ann Hattner, Susan Anderes, Gut Insight, →ISBN, page 35
    • Evidence of the prebiotic properties of polydextrose (PDX), resistant maltodextrin (RMD), and other soluble fiber sources are slowly emerging, but the body of evidence is small compared to the gold standard of fructo oligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin.2011, Teresa M. Paeschke, William R. Aimutis, Nondigestible Carbohydrates and Digestive Health, →ISBN

Noun

prebiotic (plural prebiotics)

  1. (in plural) A substance in food that is hard to digest and promotes the growth of beneficial intestinal microorganisms.
    • The table below includes plant foods we consider to be prebiotic “stars” since they are the foods listed in the scientific literature as sources of prebiotics.2009, Jo Ann Hattner, Susan Anderes, Gut Insight, →ISBN, page 35
    • Prebiotics are nowhere near as well researched as probiotics, although there are already some sound results pertaining to how they work.2015, Giulia Enders, translated by David Shaw, Gut, Scribe, published 2016, page 240

Examples of prebiotic in a sentence

  • The chemistry of cyanoacetylene, HC₃N, can lead in aqueous solution to the prebiotic synthesis of pyrimidines.2006, Bernard Barbier, Hervé Martin, Jacques Reisse, Lectures in Astrobiology: Vol I, →ISBN:
  • The amino acids which were formed through prebiotic reactions were surely chiral.2010, Giovanni Occhipinti, Prebiotic chemistry and the origin of life, →ISBN, page 30:
  • Home to 51 moons, including the prebiotic moon Anafiel, Dumah is a standard hydrogen-helium gas giant with violent surface winds exceeding 1,900 kph.2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Dumah, Micah System:
  • Artificial prebiotic experiments were designed to mimic what might have occurred before life appeared.2014, Theodore R. Johnstone, Boundaries of Evolution, →ISBN:

Forms of prebiotic

pluralprebiotics

Origin of prebiotic

From pre- + biotic.

Words formed from prebiotic

Questions about prebiotic

What does prebiotic mean?
Prebiotic means before the advent of life.
How do you use prebiotic in a sentence?
The chemistry of cyanoacetylene, HC₃N, can lead in aqueous solution to the prebiotic synthesis of pyrimidines.
What part of speech is prebiotic?
Prebiotic can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce prebiotic?
Prebiotic is pronounced /pɹiːbaɪˈɒtɪk/ (UK).

Words near prebiotic in the dictionary

  1. prebinge
  2. prebiologic
  3. prebiological
  4. prebiopsy
  5. prebiotechnology
  6. prebiotic
  7. prebiotic organic synthesis
  8. prebiotically
  9. prebiotics
  10. prebiotinylated
  11. prebiotinylation

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: prebiotic (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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