1. relating to or denoting the geological time before the appearance of life on Earth; devoid of life or fossils
Usage: geology; archaic or technical
2. containing no living organisms; sterile
Usage: technical

Examples

• The azoic rocks showed no evidence of ancient life forms.
• Scientists studied the azoic period to understand Earth's earliest history.
• The azoic environment of the deep ocean floor lacks visible organisms.
• Early geologists classified certain strata as azoic because they contained no fossils.
• The azoic conditions in the laboratory ensured no contamination from microbes.