biopowern.
/ˈbʌɪəʊˌpaʊə/, U.S. /ˈbaɪoʊˌpaʊ(ə)r/ 1. Philosophy. After M. Foucault: the power of a political entity to control and regulate the lives of the populace.
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1978 R. Hurley tr. M. Foucault Hist. Sexuality I. v. 140 Hence there was an explosion of numerous and diverse techniques for achieving the subjugation of bodies and the control of populations, marking the beginning of an era of ‘bio-power’.
1987 Jrnl. Sex Res. 23 403 Foucault uses the concept of bio-power, power as it penetrates and disciplines individual and social bodies, to denote this quintessential modern form of power-knowledge.
2002 J. Floersch Meds, Money, & Manners 3 Government agents, the theory suggests, use biopower to regulate and routinize everyday social relations.
2.
a. = bioelectricity n. 1 Cf. bioenergy n. 1a. rare.
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the world > life > biology > biological processes > action of nervous system > [noun] > electrical phenomena
neuroelectricity1914
rheobase1917
bioelectricity1925
monophasicity1932
Berger rhythm1934
skin potential1934
brain wave1935
beta rhythm1936
beta waves1936
theta1944
hyperpolarization1946
hyperpolarizing1950
conductance1966
biopower1978
1978 J. Langone Human Engin. ix. 118 This was the first time anyone had strongly suggested that an animal had electric-shock power. In the book Cyborg: Evolution of the Superman, author D. S. Halacy Jr., takes that a step further, discussing some applications of such biopower.
b. Electrical power derived from biomass; bioenergy (bioenergy n. 2).
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1985 Science 31 May 1073/1 Bio Power Corp...signed a contract to supply biomass to a sugar mill that produces energy for the Hawaii Electric Power Company.]
1994 Guardian 25 Oct. i. 19/2 Bio-power stations, as they are called, will produce about 10 megawatts, enough to power a large village, but each will need thousands of acres of trees to produce a continuous supply of fuel.
2003 Technol. Options for Near & Long Term (U.S. Climate Change Technol. Program) ii. 99 Small biopower and biodiesel systems have been used for many years in the developing world for electricity generation.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1978