abiogenesis

Etymology

The Champagne vent at the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, a type of hydrothermal vent called a “white smoker”. Some scientists believe that abiogenesis occurred at such deep sea vents.

From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-, “not-”, the alpha privative) + βῐ́ος (bíos, “life”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- (“to live”)) + γένεσις (génesis, “origin, source; manner of birth; creation”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁tis (“birth; production”)); equivalent to a- +‎ biogenesis. The words biogenesis and abiogenesis were both coined by English biologist Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–1895) in 1870 (see the quotation).^[1]

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌeɪbaɪəʊˈdʒɛnəsɪs/, /-ˌbaɪə-/, /-ˌbiːə-/, /-ˌbiːoʊ-/, /-nɪ-/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌeɪˌbaioʊˈdʒɛnəsɪs/
• Hyphenation: abi‧o‧ge‧ne‧sis

Noun

abiogenesis (plural abiogeneses)

1. (evolutionary theory) The origination of living organisms from lifeless matter; such genesis as does not involve the action of living parents; spontaneous generation. [from 1870]
   • 1870 September 17, [Thomas Henry Huxley], “The President’s Address”, in The Athenæum: Journal of English and Foreign Literature, Science, the Fine Arts, Music and the Drama, number 2238, London: Printed by Edward J. Francis, Took's Court, Chancery Lane, published at the office, 20, Wellington Street, Strand, W.C., by John Francis. [...], OCLC 956082422, page 374, columns 2–3:

     And thus the hypothesis that living matter always arises by the agency of pre-existing living matter, took definite shape; […] It will be necessary for me to refer to this hypothesis so frequently, that, to save circumlocution, I shall call it the hypothesis of Biogenesis; and I shall term the contrary doctrine—that living matter may be produced by not living matter—the hypothesis of Abiogenesis.

References

• Lesley Brown (editor), The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition (Oxford University Press, 2003 [1933], →ISBN), page 4

Further reading

• abiogenesis on Wikipedia.Wikipedia