Neogenesis

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The biological process by which new tissue, bone, or other bodily structures develop and form
2. The growth and development of new anatomical formations within an organism or in response to injury
3. The regeneration or creation of fresh tissue and structural elements in living systems

Etymology: "Neogenesis" is a simple compound built from two Greek-derived parts. "Neo-" comes from the Greek "neos", meaning "new" or "young", and "genesis" comes from the Greek "genesis", meaning "origin", "birth" or "creation", which gave English words such as "genesis" itself and "generate". Joined together, the pair names the formation of something new, most often new tissue or new cells in biology. The compound follows a pattern common in scientific English, where the prefix "neo-" is attached to a classical noun to name a new instance of a process. Because it is a coinage built from familiar Greek parts rather than a word inherited from antiquity, its meaning is fixed by its components: the birth of something new.

Synonyms: regeneration, renewal, rebirth

Antonyms: degeneration, decay