biotechnology A combination of biology and technology. It is used to describe developments in the application of biological organisms for commercial and scientific purposes. So "bio" stands for biology and the science of life, and "tech" stands for technology, or the tools and techniques that the biotechnologists have in their workbox. Those tools and techniques include microorganisms and a range of methods for manipulating them, such as genetic engineering[baɪə(u)tek'nɔlədʒɪ]n
