Where does “morphia” come from?
Morphia derives from English morphine, from French morphine, formed with the French suffix -ine from Ancient Greek μορφή meaning shape, with the suffix ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos.
morphia (English): morphine
Definitions
- morphine
Ancestry of “morphia”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | morphine | A crystalline alkaloid (4,5-epoxy-17-methyl-7,8-didehydromorphinan-3,6-diol), extracted from opium, the salts of which are soluble in water and are used as analgesics, anaesthetics and sedatives; it is one of a group of morphine alkaloids |
| 2 | French | morphine | morphine |
| 3 | French | -ine | feminine singular of -in; female equivalent of... |
| 4 | French | -é | past participle root verb suffix of regular -er... |
| 5 | Middle French | -é | past participle root verb suffix of regular; -ed, -en, -n |
| 6 | Old French | -é | used to form past participles of regular -er... |
| 7 | Latin | -a | suffixed to the roots of verbs, forms agent... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -ā | Forms masculine agent nouns from prefixed or compounded bases |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -éh₂ | — |