Necrobiotic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the gradual degeneration and death of cells or tissue in a living organism
2. Pertaining to the progressive cellular decay and tissue death occurring within living systems
3. Describing the natural process of cell deterioration and organismal tissue destruction in living creatures

Etymology: "Necrobiotic" is built from two pieces with a clear division of labor: "necro-," from Greek "nekros" meaning "corpse" or "dead body," and "-biotic," from Greek "bios" meaning "life," with the suffix "-tic" added to make it an adjective. Put together, the word's literal sense is something like "pertaining to life that is dying," a notable pairing because the two halves seem to contradict each other, yet describe exactly what happens when cells in a living body break down and tissue begins to die. The "necro-" element is far older than the medical sense. In ancient Greek, "nekros" was used of corpses, and the combining form turned up in many later scientific coinages, such as "necropolis," the "city of the dead." Scientists in the modern era drew on this stock of Greek parts whenever they needed a precise name for a new idea, and "necrobiotic" follows that habit, pairing a corpse-root with a life-root to name a state that is neither fully alive nor fully dead.