Microfluidics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The area of technology concerned with the controlling of fluid flow within very small channels and devices for diverse applications
2. A scientific field dedicated to investigating and managing the movement of liquids in microscale environments for numerous uses
3. A branch of engineering focused on manipulating and analyzing fluid behavior in tiny channels and structures for a variety of applications

Etymology: Microfluidics is a compound built from two parts that each have their own history. The first, "micro-", comes from the Ancient Greek "mīkrós", meaning "small", and entered English as a combining form. The second part is "fluidics", which takes its root from Latin "fluidus", meaning "flowing", itself from "fluere", "to flow". English "fluidic" was formed on that Latin base, and "fluidics" added the "-ics" ending used for fields of study, as in "mechanics" or "electronics". The word itself is a plain technical coinage rather than an old term: "microfluidics" was built by joining "micro-" to "fluidics", so the meaning follows directly from its parts. It names the study and engineering of fluids moving through channels so small that their behavior changes from what everyday plumbing would predict.