bioelementn.
/ˌbʌɪəʊˈɛlᵻm(ə)nt/, U.S. /ˌbaɪoʊˈɛləm(ə)nt/ Biology.
1. In the terminology of B. B. Burke: an organic primordium or unit (consisting of a form of carbon) from which life in the universe was held to have originated.Apparently an isolated use.
ΚΠ
1906 B. B. Burke Origin of Life xii. 223 Like a great nebula, the bio-element from which the human race has sprung presents a similar complexity in its structure as well as in its form of motion.
2. Any of the chemical elements which are components of living organisms and are required for their survival and growth.
ΚΠ
1919 Jrnl. Gen. Physiol. 1 429 The new periodic system has been utilized to show that all the bioelements occupy neighboring places and that the majority of them possess low atomic weights.
1964 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 52 601 The bioelements fall into three natural groups, according to the uses organisms make of them: those that form water and the bulk of the organic molecules; the monatomic ions; and the trace elements.
1998 Holland & Barrett Mag. May–June 16 (advt.) With a wide spectrum of vitamins and bio-elements, it helps safeguard your daily requirements.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1906