Biochips

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small device made from biological materials used for various applications in biotechnology and medicine
2. A type of microchip that integrates biological components for tasks such as drug delivery or diagnostics
3. A technology combining biological and electronic systems to analyze complex biological processes and systems

Etymology: "Biochips" is the plural of "biochip," a compound made from the combining form "bio-" and "chip." The first part comes from the Ancient Greek "bios," meaning life, which entered English scientific vocabulary as a prefix for anything related to living things. The second part is far older and humbler: "chip" descends from an Old English word "ċipp," meaning a splinter or small fragment of wood or stone, the same sense that still survives in "chip off the old block." Joined together, the pieces describe a tiny piece of engineered material that is built from or works with biological components rather than purely silicon. The word is a modern coinage, formed in the late twentieth century by attaching a scientific prefix to a term from electronics, so it has no ancient history of its own. Its meaning therefore reflects two very different traditions: a Greek word for life and an Anglo-Saxon word for a sliver of wood.