Where does “microglia” come from?
Microglia comes from English micro- combined with glia, which derives from Ancient Greek γλία, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gel-, meaning to stick or congeal.
microglia (English): API pl; The glial cells of the immune system;...
Definitions
- API pl; The glial cells of the immune system;...
Ancestry of “microglia”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | micro- | API; Very small; One millionth |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | μικρο- | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | μικρός | little, small |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | mēy- | soft, tender, dear |