Where does “nicotinic” come from?
Nicotinic is an English adjective formed from nicotine with the French suffix -ique, derived from Latin -icus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -kos, an adjectival suffix.
nicotinic (English): Of or pertaining to nicotine or nicotinic acid or...
Definitions
- Of or pertaining to nicotine or nicotinic acid or...
Ancestry of “nicotinic”, step by step
nicotinic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English nicotine
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nicotine | An alkaloid (C10H14N2), commonly occurring in the tobacco plant |
| 2 | English | -ine | Of or pertaining to; Used to form demonyms;... |
| 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 | — |
via French nicotinique
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | nicotinique | nicotinic |
| 2 | French | -ique | Used to form adjectives from nouns: -ic, -ical,... |
| 3 | Middle French | -ique | ic |
| 4 | Old French | -ique | -ic |
| 5 | Latin | -icus | belonging to; derived from; of or pertaining to;... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *-ikos | forms adjectives with the sense of 'of or pertaining to' |