Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bios

/ˈbaɪ.oʊs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.26 in modern English

Syllables: bios
IPA: /ˈbaɪ.oʊs/

6

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Acronym of Basic Input/Output System.

noun

any firmware user interface that provides similar functionality as BIOS, such as UEFI.

Informal

noun

noun

A vitamin essential for the growth of yeast, since found to be several B vitamins.

Obsolete

noun

A particular mode of life, a qualified life.

Example Sentences

"Toshiba manufactures the chip set and the 8- to 10-MHz bus; the BIOS, shadowable in both system and video modes, is licensed from Award."

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life, the good life”), first distinguished in this particular sense by Giorgio Agamben. Doublet of jiva and quick.

Origin

Source language: Ancient Greek

Word Breakdown

Root: βίος

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈbaɪ.oʊs/
British English: /ˈbaɪ.ɒs/

Usage

Inflected Forms

BIOSes (plural) bioi (plural)

Derived Forms

diplobios geobios halobios limnobios

Frequently Paired Words

UEFI zoe

Questions

How do you pronounce bios?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbaɪ.oʊs/.
What does bios mean?: Acronym of Basic Input/Output System.
Where does bios come from?: It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce bios

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bios”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbaɪ.oʊs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bios”.
Repeat and practice — Say “bios” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.