Where does “苯” come from?
苯 (Chinese) comes from English benzene, from English benzine, from German Benzin, from German -īn, from Latin -īnus, from Proto-Italic -īnos, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos, from Proto-Indo-European -no- — adjectival suffix.
Ancestry of “苯”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | benzene | An aromatic hydrocarbon of formula CH whose... |
| 2 | English | benzine | benzene; any flammable petroleum distillate used... |
| 3 | German | Benzin | petrol, gasoline |
| 4 | German | -īn | creates the female form for many nouns for living beings; umlaut usually occurs in monosyllables, but rarely in polysyllables |
| 5 | Latin | -īnus | of or pertaining to; -ine |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -īnos | of/belonging to |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |