Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “alga” come from?

Alga comes from Latin alga, from Proto-Indo-European alg-, with uncertain original meaning.

alga (English): Any of many aquatic photosynthetic organisms,...

Definitions

  1. Any of many aquatic photosynthetic organisms,...

Ancestry of “alga”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinalgaSeaweed; plants that grow in freshwater;...
2Proto-Indo-Europeanalǵ-to be dirty, be slimy; frog; duckweed; to be...

Words derived from “alga”

  • algae
  • alginate
  • alginic
  • macroalga
  • microalga
  • algin
  • algicide
  • algoid
  • algicidal
  • algaecidal
  • algacidal
  • antialgae
  • algaculture
  • algach
  • alga
  • algeolaíocht
  • algeolaí
Every word from Proto-Indo-European alǵ- →