Biomass Meaning
/ˈbaɪə(ʊ)mæs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe total mass of a living thing or a part thereof (such as a cell).
nounThe total mass of all, or a specified category of, living things within a specific area, habitat, etc.
Sentence Examples
Jellyfish make up up to 40% of the biomass of the ocean.
This fungus maintains its biomass under the soil.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The power plant uses plant ____ as a renewable fuel source.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Plants and animals are organic matter that can be used as a source of ____.
Word Origin & History
From bio- (prefix denoting organic life) + mass (“matter, material”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Since protein constitutes the majority of the biomass of a cell, building new protein is a major way that cells increase their size."
— 2005, David A. Guertin, David M. Sabatini, “Cell Size Control”, in Encyclopedia of Life Sciences, volume IV, Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, →DOI, →ISBN:
"In the untouched Shangri-la-like Kingman Reef in the Line Islands in the central Pacific, sharks make up 75 per cent of the fish biomass."
— 2012 August 2, Theo Tait, “Don’t Wear Yum-yum Yellow [review of Demon Fish: Travels through the Hidden World of Sharks (2012) by Juliet Eilperin]”, in London Review of Books, volume 34, number 15, London: LRB Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 04 Dec 2022:
"Advanced technologies such as gasifier/gas turbine systems for electric power generation and fuel cells for transportation make it possible for biomass to provide a substantial share of world energy in the decades ahead, at competitive costs."
— 1994, Robert Williams, “Roles for Biomass Energy in Sustainable Development”, in R[obert Harry] Socolow, C. Andrews, F. Berkhout, V. Thomas, editors, Industrial Ecology and Global Change, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire; New York, N.Y.: Cambridge University Press, published 1997, →ISBN, abstract, page 199:
"Among the key contracts she works on is the supply of coal and biomass to Drax power station and extensive rail operations for British Steel."
— 2020 April 22, Paul Stephen, “COVID-19: Meet the Railway Heroes”, in Rail, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 41:
"All vegetation and tree stumps were sent to a local recycling facility to be turned into biomass."
— 2020 August 26, Andrew Mourant, “Reinforced against Future Flooding”, in Rail, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, pages 60–61:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The power plant uses plant ____ as a renewable fuel source.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Plants and animals are organic matter that can be used as a source of ____.