French word

biomasse

Pronunciation

IPA/bjomas/

Meaning

  • feminine nounbiomass

Example

On utilise la biomasse pour chauffer les maisons.

Biomass is used to heat homes.

Illustration for biomasse (biomass)

More examples

À la ferme, on utilise la biomasse agricole pour faire du compost.

On the farm, agricultural biomass is used to make compost.

Core concept

Organic matter from living sources collected for use as fuel or an energy resource.

Common phrases

  • combustible à base de biomasse

    biomass-based fuel

  • biomasse agricole

    agricultural biomass

  • stock de biomasse

    biomass stock

Similar words

bois: Wood burned for heating or to start a fire.
bûche: A section of log cut for use as firewood.
combustible: Material that can be burned to obtain heat or energy.
déchet: An unwanted item or leftover that may be discarded or reused.

Definition in French

Matière organique issue d'êtres vivants utilisée comme source d'énergie.

Word origin

Biomasse is a scientific formation joining bio-, meaning 'life', to masse, meaning 'mass' or 'bulk'.

Usage tips

  • In energy contexts, biomasse often means fuel such as wood or crop waste, while scientific contexts can use it for total living matter.

Opposites

  • combustible fossilefossil fuelnoun

Word lists with this word