Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “electrolysis” come from?

Electrolysis comes from Ancient Greek lýsis, meaning "a loosening or breaking down," from lýō "to loosen or dissolve," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -tis.

electrolysis (English): the chemical change produced by passing an...

Definitions

  1. the chemical change produced by passing an...

Ancestry of “electrolysis”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-lysisdecomposition or breakdown; dissolving;...
2Ancient Greekλύσιςloosing, releasing, release, ransoming;...
3Ancient Greek-σῐς"suffix forming nouns"
4Ancient Greek-τιςEarlier form of -σις , retained after dentals δ,...
5Proto-Indo-European-tisDerives abstract/action nouns from verb roots

Words derived from “electrolysis”

  • photoelectrolysis
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tis →