Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The part of the earth and its atmosphere in which living organisms exist or that is capable of supporting life.
  • noun The living organisms and their environment composing the biosphere.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The sum of the living things on the earth considered as a stratum in contrast with the atmosphere and the lithosphere.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun the part of the Earth and its atmosphere capable of supporting life
  • noun the totality of living organisms and their environment

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the regions of the surface and atmosphere of the Earth (or other planet) where living organisms exist

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

bio- +‎ sphere

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