Where does “heroin” come from?
Heroin derives from German Heroin, which was formed from Ancient Greek ἥρως meaning hero, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ser-.
heroin (English): A powerful and addictive drug derived from opium...
Definitions
- A powerful and addictive drug derived from opium...
Ancestry of “heroin”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Heroin | heroin |
| 2 | Latin | hērōina | heroine |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἡρωΐνη | Alternative spelling of ἡρωίνη |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἥρως | a hero of the Trojan War: any of the major... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | sēr- | to flow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ser- | to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together |
Words derived from “heroin”