The term resilience derives from the Latin verb "resilire" (to re + rise) which means "to jump back" and therefore in a more general sense to bounce.
Resilience is the ability of a system to adapt to variations given by external stresses.
The concept of resilience is used in the various branches of knowledge with reference to the different systems in question:
- In biology, resilience is the ability of a cell or a living organism to heal autonomously after suffering damage such as a wound;
- In ecology, resilience is the speed with which a population, a community or an ecosystem reaches an equilibrium again (and therefore adapts) following a disturbing external event that can be of natural or anthropogenic origin;
- In physics, resilience is the ability of a body to absorb energy released by an impact, returning to its original position after being elastically rebounded;
- In engineering, resilience is the ability of a material to absorb energy without breaking when subjected to elastic deformations;
- In psychology, resilience indicates an individual's ability to react positively to a traumatic event.
The word resilience has now become commonplace thanks to the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), whose interventions are mainly focused in the areas of ecological transition and digitalization.
The NRRP is the document that indicates the way in which the Italian government intends to invest the funds of the Next Generation EU, that is the plan approved by the European Council in 2020 to favor the economic recovery of the member states after the due decline to the Covid-19 pandemic.