Where does “nitrocellulose” come from?
Nitrocellulose derives from English nitrogen and cellulose, where nitrogen comes from Ancient Greek νίτρον (nitron), ultimately from Egyptian nṯrj and nṯr.
nitrocellulose (English): A cotton-like material, made from cellulose by...
Definitions
- A cotton-like material, made from cellulose by...
Ancestry of “nitrocellulose”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cellulose | A complex carbohydrate that forms the main... |
| 2 | French | cellulose | cellulose |
| 3 | French | cellule | cell; table cell |
| 4 | Latin | cellula | small room, especially that of a slave; humble... |
| 5 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |