cybernetics
/ˌsaɪ.bə(ɹ)ˈnɛ.tɪks/
cybernetics · noun — the theory/science of communication and control in living organisms or machines. It carries an Arena rating of 1618, earned across 30 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, cybernetics ranks #430 of 17,128 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #819 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #1,903 of 17,136 for Most Malleable Words, #2,411 of 17,107 for Most Storied Words.
cybernetics is pronounced /ˌsaɪ.bə(ɹ)ˈnɛ.tɪks/.
Why “cybernetics” is a great word
CYBERNETICS — [Noun] The science of control and communication in self-regulating systems, applicable to both living organisms and machines. From Ancient Greek κυβερνήτης (kubernḗtēs, "steersman, governor"), from κυβερνάω (kubernáō, "to steer, guide, govern"). The modern term was coined in 1948 by Norbert Wiener for his book 'Cybernetics'. Unlike "robotics," which concerns the physical construction of machines, or "automation," which denotes the technology of self-operation, cybernetics is the abstract grammar of governance itself. It is the governor on a steam engine, the reflex arc in a spinal cord, and the thermostat in a quiet room—a whispering logic of correction that steers the animate and the engineered alike toward a fleeting equilibrium.
❧ Written by Lexicurio’s AI
Etymology
From Ancient Greek κυβερνήτης (kubernḗtēs, “steersman”), from κυβερνάω (kubernáō, “to steer, drive, guide, act as a pilot”) (whence English govern). The term is attested since at least 1948 in the book Cybernetics by Norbert Wiener, influenced by the cognate term and doublet governor, the name of an early control device proposed by James Clerk Maxwell in 1868. Note also the 1830s French cybernétique (“the art of governing”). Also doublet of Kubernetes.
noun
- The theory/science of communication and control in living organisms or machines.e.g.“Near-synonym: control theory (not consistently differentiated)”
- The art/study of governing, controlling automatic processes and communication.
- Technology related to computers and the Internet.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.