photobiology

noun

pho·​to·​bi·​ol·​o·​gy ˌfō-tō-(ˌ)bī-ˈä-lə-jē How to pronounce photobiology (audio)
: a branch of biology that deals with the effects on living organisms of radiant energy (such as light)
photobiological
ˌfō-tō-ˌbī-ə-ˈlä-ji-kəl How to pronounce photobiology (audio)
adjective
or less commonly photobiologic
ˌfō-tō-ˌbī-ə-ˈlä-jik How to pronounce photobiology (audio)
photobiologist
ˌfō-tō-(ˌ)bī-ˈä-lə-jist How to pronounce photobiology (audio)
noun

Examples of photobiology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Antony Young, emeritus professor of experimental photobiology at King's College London, warns that most of the damage caused by ultraviolet radiation is not visible to the naked eye. — Nina Avramova, CNN, 28 June 2019 See All Example Sentences for photobiology

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of photobiology was in 1923

Rhymes for photobiology

See All Rhymes for photobiology

Browse Nearby Words

photobiography
photobiology
photobomb
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Photobiology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/photobiology. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Medical Definition

photobiology

noun
pho·​to·​bi·​ol·​o·​gy ˌfōt-ō-(ˌ)bī-ˈäl-ə-jē How to pronounce photobiology (audio)
plural photobiologies
: a branch of biology that deals with the effects of radiant energy (as light) on living things
photobiological
-ˌbī-ə-ˈläj-i-kəl How to pronounce photobiology (audio)
adjective
also photobiologic
-ik How to pronounce photobiology (audio)
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All