Where does “antihistamine” come from?
Antihistamine comes from English histamine, which combines Ancient Greek ἀντί (anti-, meaning against) and English histamine, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European h₂énti (opposite, against).
antihistamine (English): A drug or substance that counteracts the effects...
Definitions
- A drug or substance that counteracts the effects...
Ancestry of “antihistamine”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | histamine | An amine, CHN, formed by decarboxylation of... |
| 2 | English | histidine | An essential amino acid CHNO found in most animal... |
| 3 | English | -idine | Denotes a chemical compound containing a ring... |
| 4 | English | pyridine | Any of a class of aromatic heterocyclic compounds... |
| 5 | German | Pyridin | pyridine |
| 6 | German | -īn | creates the female form for many nouns for living beings; umlaut usually occurs in monosyllables, but rarely in polysyllables |
| 7 | Latin | -īnus | of or pertaining to; -ine |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -īnos | of/belonging to |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |