Bioink

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A specially formulated gel-like material containing living cells that is deposited layer by layer to build tissue structures in bioprinting
2. A cell-laden substance used in three-dimensional printing of biological tissues and organ-like constructs
3. The printable biomaterial, typically a hydrogel with living cells, that scientists extrude to fabricate artificial tissue

Etymology: "Bioink" is a modern technical coinage, built plainly from the prefix "bio-", meaning life, and the everyday word "ink." The combination describes a printing material made from or carrying living cells, which is then deposited layer by layer in 3D bioprinting to build tissue-like structures. The "bio-" element comes from Greek "bios," meaning life, and it has been attached to countless scientific terms since the nineteenth century. "Ink" descends from Greek "enkaustos," a word for purple ink used for signing, through Latin and Old French. Joining the two gives a word that is transparent about its purpose: a fluid that prints living matter, much as ordinary ink prints text.