Innover

Innover is a French verb meaning to introduce novelty or to modernize by adopting new ideas, methods, products, or processes. It is commonly used in business, technology, science, culture, and public policy to describe efforts to improve or transform practices and outcomes. The noun form is l'innovation, and related terms include innovateur (an innovator) and innovant/innovante (innovative).

Etymology and forms: Innover derives from the Latin innovare, meaning "to renew" (in- meaning into, + novus meaning new). It is a regular -er verb, with present tense forms such as j'innove, tu innoves, il innove, nous innovons, vous innovez, ils innovent. The past participle is innové, used with auxiliary avoir (j'ai innové). Other tenses follow standard -er conjugation patterns: imparfait j'innovais / innovait / innovions / innoviez / innovaient; futur j'innoverai / innoveras / innovera / innoverons / innoverez / innoveront; conditional j'innoverais; subjunctive que j'innove / que nous innovions; impératif innove, innovons, innovez.

Usage and nuance: Innover emphasizes bringing about new or improved ways rather than creating something entirely from nothing (which is more typical of inventor or invention). It often pairs with prepositions such as dans, en matière de, or par to specify the domain of change, e.g., innover dans le domaine de l’énergie, innover en matière de services publics, innover par la collaboration. The term is common in corporate strategy, research, product development, and policy design, and it is frequently contrasted with concepts like améliorer (to improve) and inventer (to invent).

See also: l'innovation, innovateur, innover dans open innovation.