Where does “hygroscopic” come from?
Hygroscopic comes from French hygroscopique, formed with the French suffix -ique from French hygroskopie, which derives from Latin -ia and Proto-Indo-European -kos.
hygroscopic (English): Readily taking up and retaining water, especially...
Definitions
- Readily taking up and retaining water, especially...
Ancestry of “hygroscopic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | hygroscopique | hygroscopic |
| 2 | French | hygroscopie | hygroscopy |
| 3 | French | -ie | indicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one |
| 4 | Middle French | -ie | indicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one |
| 5 | Old French | -ie | indicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one |
| 6 | Latin | -ia | Used to form a feminine abstract noun, usually... |
| 7 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |