Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “amniocentesis” come from?

Amniocentesis combines English amnion, from Latin amnion, from Ancient Greek ἀμνίον, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂egʷnós meaning lamb, with the Greek suffix -centesis meaning puncture.

amniocentesis (English): A procedure for obtaining amniotic fluid from a...

Definitions

  1. A procedure for obtaining amniotic fluid from a...

Ancestry of “amniocentesis”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishamnionThe innermost membrane of the fetal membranes of...
2Latinamnionmembrane around a fetus
3Ancient Greekἀμνίονbowl in which the blood of victims was caught;...
4Ancient Greekἀμνόςlamb
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂egʷnóslamb
6Proto-Indo-European-nósCreates verbal adjectives from roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -nós →