Where does “cationic” come from?
Cationic derives from English cation plus the suffix -ique from French, ultimately from Latin -icus and Ancient Greek κατά meaning "down" or "against," with roots in Proto-Indo-European.
cationic (English): of, relating to, or being a cation
Definitions
- of, relating to, or being a cation
Ancestry of “cationic”, step by step
cationic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English cation
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cation | A positively charged ion, i.e. one that would be... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | κατιόν | going down |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | κάτειμι | to go down, come down |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | κᾰτᾰ- | fully; down; denoting motion downwards |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | κατά | |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | καταστερίζω | to place among the stars; I put among the stars |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ἀστήρ | a celestial body; illustrious person; starfish |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | astḗr | star |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂stḗr | star |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eHs- | to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth |
via French cationique
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | cationique | cationic |
| 2 | French | -ique | Used to form adjectives from nouns: -ic, -ical,... |
| 3 | Middle French | -ique | ic |
| 4 | Old French | -ique | -ic |
| 5 | Latin | -icus | belonging to; derived from; of or pertaining to;... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *-ikos | forms adjectives with the sense of 'of or pertaining to' |