Definition of "biogenic" [bi•o•gen•ic]

• Produced by living organisms or biological processes. (adjective)
• Necessary for the maintenance of life processes. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Haeckel’s biggest error was an idea he called the biogenic law, which never became mainstream biology."
• "With his drawings and accompanying descriptions, Haeckel promoted the idea that “ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny,” also called the biogenic law."
• "Cabbages and most vegetation emit chemicals called biogenic volatile organic compounds, or BVOCs, that are mostly undetectable by humans."