bionic

Etymology

It is formed from English bio- + electronic, taking its ending from the second word, after bionics.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} The first element is from Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life”).^[6] The noun bionics, the study of systems that work like living ones, is recorded from 1960.^[1][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or relating to bionics: 1961, in Science Digest,^[1] and 1961 also in Merriam-Webster.^[4] Etymonline dates this sense to 1963.^[6]

Semantic evolution

In later use the adjective came to describe mechanical or electronic devices that copy or replace parts of living organisms, and people with such parts.^[1][7] Its popular sense, superhumanly strong or tireless, dates from 1976 and comes from the American television series “The Six Million Dollar Man” and its spin-offs.^[6][8][1] In British slang it has also meant extreme or beyond the limit, as of a temper or a phone bill.^[8]

Timeline

• 1961 – relating to bionics.^[1][4] Etymonline gives 1963.^[6]
• 1976 – colloquial, showing exceptional strength, ability or energy.^[1][6][8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of or relating to bionics.^[4][9][1]
2. Having natural abilities enhanced, or parts replaced, by electronic or electromechanical devices, especially in science fiction.^[4][9][7]
3. Made up of artificial body parts: a bionic hand.^[4][7]
4. (informal) Unusually strong, able or energetic; tireless.^[1][7][3][8]

Word family

• bionically

Related words

• bionics
• electronic

Usage notes

In 1901 the geologist H. S. Williams used bionic for the capacity of a species to pass on particular characteristics over successive generations; the OED forms this earlier word from bio- and -ic with an inserted -n-, perhaps after chronic, and treats it as a separate adjective.^[1][6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c d Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
9. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins