Where does “hydrophobic” come from?
Hydrophobic derives from English hydrophobia combined with the English suffix -phobe, from Latin -icus, Ancient Greek ὕδωρ meaning water and φόβος meaning fear, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wódr̥ and wed-.
hydrophobic (English): Of, or having, hydrophobia; Lacking an affinity...
Definitions
- Of, or having, hydrophobia; Lacking an affinity...
Ancestry of “hydrophobic”, step by step
hydrophobic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hydrophobe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hydrophobe | A hydrophobic compound or material |
| 2 | French | hydrophobe | hydrophobic; hydrophobe |
| 3 | Latin | hydrophobus | hydrophobic, having hydrophobia; a hydrophobe,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ὑδροφόβος | — |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὑδρο- | hydro-, water; water |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὕδωρ | water; rainwater, rain; sweat |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | *údōr | water |
via English hydrophobia
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hydrophobia | An aversion to water, as a symptom of rabies; the... |
| 2 | Middle English | idroforbia | hydrophobia |
| 3 | Latin | hydrophobia | hydrophobia |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ὑδροφοβία | fear of water |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -φοβίᾱ | — |