Where does “antibiotic” come from?
Antibiotic comes from French antibiotique, formed from the prefix anti- and Late Latin bioticus, derived from Ancient Greek βιωτικός meaning "of life," from βίος meaning "life," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʷih₃wós.
antibiotic (English): Any substance that can destroy or inhibit the...
Definitions
- Any substance that can destroy or inhibit the...
Ancestry of “antibiotic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | antibiotique | antibiotic |
| 2 | French | biotique | biotic |
| 3 | Late Latin | bioticus | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | βιωτικός | concerning or relating to life; of life |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | βίος | life |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | Γένεσις | Genesis. The title of the first book of the Bible and Pentateuch as in the Septuagint translation in Greek |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | génetis | origin, source |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénh₁tis | birth, production |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |