An entity consisting of a small drop of aqueous solution surrounded by a membrane and containing complex organic molecules, hypothesized as ancestral to living cells.
Origin
Late 19th century (in an earlier sense). From proto- + -biont.
Definition of protobiont in US English:
protobiont
nounˌprəʊtə(ʊ)ˈbʌɪɒnt
Biology
An entity consisting of a small drop of aqueous solution surrounded by a membrane and containing complex organic molecules, hypothesized as ancestral to living cells.
Origin
Late 19th century (in an earlier sense). From proto- + -biont.