Where does “biocompatible” come from?
Biocompatible is a modern English formation combining bio- from Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, "life") and compatible from Middle French compatible, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European gʷih₃wós meaning "living" or "alive."
biocompatible (English): Compatible with biological tissue
Definitions
- Compatible with biological tissue
Ancestry of “biocompatible”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | compatible | Capable of easy interaction; Able to get along... |
| 2 | Middle English | compatible | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | compatible | — |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | compatibilis | in "compatible beneficium", a benefice which... |
| 5 | Late Latin | compator | — |
| 6 | Latin | com- | allomorph of con- |
| 7 | Latin | con- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing... |
| 8 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 9 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 13 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 14 | German | kitt | — |
| 15 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 16 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 17 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |