Where does “mafic” come from?
mafic (English) comes from English ferric, from Latin ferricus, from Latin ferrum, from Cornish -er, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre — he, she.
mafic (English): Describing rocks, such as silicate minerals,...
Definitions
- Describing rocks, such as silicate minerals,...
Ancestry of “mafic”, step by step
mafic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ferric
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ferric | Pertaining to, derived from, or containing iron;... |
| 2 | Latin | ferricus | — |
| 3 | Latin | ferrum | iron; any tool made of iron; fight, clash |
| 4 | Cornish | -er | Forms masculine agent nouns |
| 5 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 6 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 7 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 8 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 13 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English magnesium
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | magnesium | The chemical element with an atomic number of... |
| 2 | New Latin | magnēsium | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | Μαγνησία | Magnesia |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ῐ́ᾱ | {{l|en|-ia}}; "suffix forming abstract feminine... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |