Where does “-cillin” come from?
-cillin (English) comes from English penicillin, from Translingual Penicillium, from Latin pēnicillum, from Latin -illus, from Latin -lus, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
Ancestry of “-cillin”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | penicillin | Any of a group of narrow-spectrum antibiotics... |
| 2 | Translingual | Penicillium | genus |
| 3 | Latin | pēnicillum | A painter's brush |
| 4 | Latin | -illus | Used to form adjectives from nouns |
| 5 | Latin | -lus | Alternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |