Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “alveolus” come from?

Alveolus comes from Latin alveolus, derived from Latin alveus meaning "trough" or "channel," itself from Latin alvus meaning "belly" or "abdomen," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂el- meaning "to grind" or "to mill."

alveolus (English): A small cavity or pit; An anatomical structure...

Definitions

  1. A small cavity or pit; An anatomical structure...

Ancestry of “alveolus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinalveolussmall hollow or cavity; tray, trough, basin;...
2Latin-olusAlternative form of -ulus; "forming diminutives";...
3Latin-lusAlternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix
4Proto-Italic-elos—
5Proto-Indo-European-e-lós—
6Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “alveolus”

  • alveolar
  • bronchoalveolar
  • alveolitis
  • dentoalveolar
  • bronchioloalveolar
  • interalveolar
  • postalveolar
  • alveolarization
  • bronchioalveolar
  • tubuloalveolar
  • perialveolar
  • nonalveolar
  • zygomaticoalveolar
  • alveolarisation
  • bronchoalveolitis
  • postalveolarization
  • hypoalveolarization
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →