Where does “cytotoxicity” come from?
Cytotoxicity is a modern English compound of cyto- and toxicity, with toxicity deriving from French toxique, Latin -itas, and Ancient Greek τόξον meaning bow, originally referring to poison used on arrows.
cytotoxicity (English): the property of being toxic to a cell
Definitions
- the property of being toxic to a cell
Ancestry of “cytotoxicity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | toxicity | The quality or degree of being toxic |
| 2 | English | toxic | Having a chemical nature that is harmful to... |
| 3 | French | toxique | toxic |
| 4 | Latin | toxicus | toxic; poisonous |
| 5 | Latin | toxicum | a poison used on the tips of arrows; any poison |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | τοξικόν | poison used on the tips of arrows |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | τοξικός | of or for the bow; skilled in the use of the bow;... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | λόγος | That which is said: word, sentence, speech,... |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | λέγω | I put in order, arrange, gather; I choose, count,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |