Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “antimatter” come from?

Antimatter derives from English anti- and matter, with matter from Latin materia, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European méh₂tēr.

antimatter (English): Matter that is composed of the antiparticles of...

Definitions

  1. Matter that is composed of the antiparticles of...

Ancestry of “antimatter”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmatterSubstance, material; A condition, subject or...
2Middle EnglishmatereMatter or stuff; that which things are composed...
3Anglo-Normanmatere—
4Latinmāteria—
5Latinmāter—
6Proto-Italicmātērmother
7Proto-Indo-Europeanméh₂tērmother
Every word from Proto-Indo-European méh₂tēr →