To introduce new ideas, methods, or products, especially to improve something that already exists.
From Latin 'innovare' meaning 'to renew, to change', formed from 'in-' (into) + 'novus' (new). It originally meant to bring something back into newness or freshness before taking on the modern sense of creating new things.
Innovate doesn’t just mean ‘be creative’; it literally means ‘make something new again.’ That’s why innovation often updates old systems instead of inventing from total scratch. Real innovation usually tweaks what exists so cleverly that it suddenly feels brand new.
Innovation narratives have often centered male inventors and entrepreneurs, overlooking women’s innovations in technology, domestic work, medicine, and social organization. Patent and property laws historically limited women’s ability to claim or profit from their innovations.
When discussing innovation, include examples from women and gender-diverse innovators across fields, not just stereotypically male-dominated sectors. Avoid equating innovation solely with formal patents or venture-backed startups.
Acknowledge women innovators in computing, engineering, medicine, and grassroots organizing—such as Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, and countless unnamed women whose process and design improvements were absorbed into male-led institutions.
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