Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “alkaloid” come from?

Alkaloid comes from English alkali, from Arabic qalī, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weyd- meaning to separate or divide.

alkaloid (English): Any of many organic heterocyclic bases that occur...

Definitions

  1. Any of many organic heterocyclic bases that occur...

Ancestry of “alkaloid”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishalkaliOne of a class of caustic bases, such as soda,...
2Frenchalcalialkali
3Medieval Latinalcali—
4Arabicاَلْقِلْي—

Words derived from “alkaloid”

  • alkaloidal
  • glycoalkaloid
  • nonalkaloidal
  • nonalkaloid
  • alkavervir
  • thioalkaloid
  • alkaloidiferous
  • pseudoalkaloid
  • ergoalkaloid
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