Word of the Day: CYBERNETICS

cybernetics (noun) - the science of communication as it relates to living things and machines

BREAKDOWN: CYBER- (computers) + NET- (networks) + -ICS (science or discipline)

The word cybernetics was coined by American mathematician and philosopher Norbert Wiener to define his concept of the study of control and communication in the animal and the machine. Wiener was among the first to theorize that all intelligent behavior was the result of feedback mechanisms, which could themselves possibly be simulated by machines.

**CONGRUENT CONNECTIONS**

The word cybernetics derives from the same base as the root GOVERN-, which means steer, guide, or manage in words like governor and misgovern.

The prefix CYBER-, meaning computer in words like cyberbullying and cybersecurity, comes from the word cybernetics and not the other way around.