'bioscope' originates from modern coinage combining Greek elements: 'bio-' from Greek 'bios' meaning 'life' and the suffix '-scope' from Greek 'skopein' meaning 'to look' or 'to view'.

'bioscope' was coined in the late 19th century to name devices and shows presenting 'living' moving images; the term was used in early film trade and popular usage and later declined as words like 'cinema', 'movie', and 'projector' became dominant.

Initially it meant 'an instrument for viewing life (moving images)' and then extended to mean 'a showing of moving pictures' and, in some regions, simply 'a cinema'; over time it became archaic in general British English but remained in some regional varieties.