Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Mid-century: TV and science ·1960
Bionic
biology electronic
- Meaning
- Referring to artificial body parts that replace or enhance natural ones.
- Source words
- biology + electronic
- Coined by
- Jack Steele (USAF)
- Year
- 1960
Background
Coined at a USAF symposium on applying biological principles to engineering. The 1970s TV series *The Six Million Dollar Man* made it pop-cultural.
Mid-century: TV and science
Two engines dominated: television (sitcom, televangelist) and post-war big science (pulsar, transistor). Many mid-century coinages came from scientific style sheets and industry journals.
Two words, one coinage.
Browse every portmanteau on the shelf — or cross over to the loanwords atlas.