Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “achromatic” come from?

Achromatic comes from Ancient Greek ἀχρωμάτιστος, formed from the prefix ἀ- (not) and a root from Proto-Indo-European gʰreu and ne and sem-.

achromatic (English): Free from color; transmitting light without...

Definitions

  1. Free from color; transmitting light without...

Ancestry of “achromatic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekἀχρωμάτιστοςuncolored
2Ancient Greekἀ-The alpha privativum, used to make words that...
3Proto-Hellenichə-same; together
4Proto-Indo-Europeansm̥-one; with, together
5Proto-Indo-Europeansem-together, one

Words derived from “achromatic”

  • achromat
  • achromaticity
  • achromatically
  • pseudoachromatic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sem- →