Where does “diatomic” come from?
Diatomic comes from English atomic, from Ancient Greek ἄτομος meaning indivisible, composed of the prefix ἀ- and a root from Proto-Indo-European sem- meaning one.
diatomic (English): Consisting of two atoms; A diatomic molecule or...
Definitions
- Consisting of two atoms; A diatomic molecule or...
Ancestry of “diatomic”, step by step
diatomic traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English atomic
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | atomic | Of or relating to atoms; composed of atoms;... |
| 2 | English | -ic | Used to form adjectives from nouns with the... |
| 3 | English | image | An optical or other representation of a real... |
| 4 | French | image | picture, image; frame; first-person singular... |
| 5 | Portuguese | imagem | image; picture; figure; image; image; face |
| 6 | Spanish | imagen | image |
| 7 | Italian | immagine | image; imago |
| 8 | Latin | imāginem | — |
| 9 | Latin | im- | Alternative form of in-; form of "in"; in |
| 10 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 11 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 12 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 13 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |
via English diatom
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | diatom | Any of a group of minute unicellular algae having... |
| 2 | English | di- | API; two, twice, or double; Alternative form of... |
| 3 | Latin | dī- | Two, double; di |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | δί- | Twice, double |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | διά | throughout |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dwís | twice, doubly; in two |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dwóh₁ | two |
via English ic
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ic | related or pertaining to; having the character of |