Bioinspiration

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The concept of deriving innovative solutions and designs from biological entities and their processes applies across numerous disciplines
2. The practice of taking ideas from natural biological structures and systems to create new technologies or methods
3. Using models and principles observed in living organisms to develop innovative approaches in science and engineering

Etymology: Bioinspiration is a plain compound, built from the prefix "bio-" (from Greek "bios", life) joined to "inspiration." The second element carries a surprisingly literal sense here. "Inspiration" comes from Latin "inspirare," meaning "to breathe into," so the idea underneath the word is that a good design is breathed into a human mind by the living world. The word is a modern coinage made by joining two existing pieces, which is why its meaning stays close to its parts: it refers to designs taken from nature. The familiar "bio-" prefix, found in words like "biology," supplies the sense of living things, while "inspiration" supplies the sense of drawing an idea from a source outside oneself.