Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “adipose” come from?

Adipose comes from Latin adiposus, derived from Latin adeps, which traces to Ancient Greek ἄλειφαρ and the verb ἀλείφω meaning to anoint or smear, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂leybʰ-.

adipose (English): Containing, composed of, or consisting of fat;...

Definitions

  1. Containing, composed of, or consisting of fat;...

Ancestry of “adipose”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1New Latinadipōsus—
2Latinadepsfat, lard, grease; corpulence, obesity; sapwood
3Ancient Greekἄλειφαρunguent, anointing oil, oil, fat; pitch, resin
4Ancient GreekἀλείφωTo anoint someone else; To anoint oneself
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂leybʰ-—

Words derived from “adipose”

  • adiposity
  • nonadipose
  • preadipose
  • adiposogenital
  • adipous
  • adiposeness
  • adiposome
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂leybʰ- →