Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “interferon” come from?

Interferon comes from English interfere plus the suffix -on, from Ancient Greek -ον and -ος, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰer- meaning "to carry."

interferon (English): Any of a group of glycoproteins, produced by the...

Definitions

  1. Any of a group of glycoproteins, produced by the...

Ancestry of “interferon”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-ön—
2English-onea ketone; any similar compound containing a...
3EnglishketoneA homologous series of organic molecules whose...
4GermanKetonketone
5GermanAketonacetone
6Frenchacétoneacetone
7Latinacētum—
8French-ate-ate
9Latin-ātus—
10Proto-Italic-ātos—
11Proto-Indo-European-éh₂tos—

Words derived from “interferon”

  • interferonopathy
  • интерферон
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂tos →