Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “antiseptic” come from?

Antiseptic comes from English anti- and septic, septic from Latin septem, which derives from Ancient Greek ἀντί and σήπειν meaning "to rot," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂ent- and h₂en-.

antiseptic (English): Of, or relating to antisepsis, or the use of...

Definitions

  1. Of, or relating to antisepsis, or the use of...

Ancestry of “antiseptic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsepticOf or pertaining to sepsis; Causing sepsis or...
2Ancient Greekσηπτικόςputrefactive, septic
3Ancient Greekσηπτός—
4Ancient GreekσήπωI make rotten or putrid; I rot, moulder
5Ancient Greekσήψputrefying sore; a kind of lizard, also a kind of...

Words derived from “antiseptic”

  • antiseptically
  • antisepticism
  • antisepticize
  • antisepticise
  • antiszeptikus
Every word from Ancient Greek σήψ →