Where does “bentonite” come from?

Bentonite derives from Benton (a place name) plus the English suffix -ite, from French -ite, Latin -ites, and Ancient Greek -ίτης (one belonging to), ultimately from πόλις (city) and Proto-Indo-European -teh₂ts.

bentonite (English): Any of several impure clay minerals consisting...

Definitions

  1. Any of several impure clay minerals consisting...

Ancestry of “bentonite”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBentonOS grid ref SS6536
2EnglishbenthonThe habitat at the bottom of a body of water
3English-önForming nouns denoting subatomic particles and quanta
4English-onea ketone; any similar compound containing a...
5EnglishketoneA homologous series of organic molecules whose...
6GermanKetonketone
7GermanAketonacetone
8Frenchacétoneacetone
9Latinacētumvinegar
10French-ateate
11Latin-ātused
12Proto-Italic-ātos
13Proto-Indo-European-éh₂tosForms adjectives from nouns, indicating the possession of a thing or a quality

Words derived from “bentonite

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂tosEvery word from Latin -ātusEvery word from French -ate
bentonite — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer