cryonics

noun

cry·​on·​ics krī-ˈä-niks 

plural in form but usually singular in construction

: the practice of freezing a person who has died of a disease in hopes of restoring life at some future time when a cure for the disease has been developed

cryonic

krī-ˈä-nik 

adjective

Examples of cryonics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the most immediate medical application is in the field of cryonics — freezing organs for transplantation. —Holly Barker, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2022

Bradford was wary of going public with his curiosity, fearing he'd be branded a crank for suggesting astronauts be put on ice—a concept uncomfortably similar to the one touted by the dubious cryonics industry. —Brendan I. Koerner, WIRED, 24 Nov. 2022

Correspondent Luke Burbank visits the Alcor Corporation, where some very patient patients are being held for an uncertain future, and talks with a neuroethicist about the lethal and moral propriety of cryonics. —CBS News, 24 Nov. 2021

But scientists have criticized the cryonics industry – and researchers say the theory is based on faith, not science. —Mckenzie Sadeghi, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2021

An article last Sunday about the cryonics industry misspelled the name of a Russian cryopreservation company. —New York Times, 3 July 2021

The litigious bent in the United States make its cryonics firms especially twitchy. —New York Times, 26 June 2021

There have been many lawsuits by relatives of the deceased trying to stop the expensive cryonics procedure. —New York Times, 26 June 2021

Word History

Etymology

earlier cryonic (from Greek krýos "icy cold, frost" + -onic—in bionic) + (-ics) — more at cryo-

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

cryonics

noun, plural in form but usually singular in construction

cry·​on·​ics krī-ˈän-iks 

: the practice of freezing the body of a person who has died from a disease in hopes of restoring life at some future time when a cure for the disease has been developed

cryonic

-ik 

adjective