Where does “nuclear” come from?
Nuclear derives from Latin nucleāris, from Latin nucleus meaning "kernel," from Latin nux meaning "nut," from Proto-Indo-European knew-, a variant of Proto-Indo-European ken- meaning "to scratch or scrape."
nuclear (English): Pertaining to the nucleus of an atom; Involving...
Definitions
- Pertaining to the nucleus of an atom; Involving...
Ancestry of “nuclear”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | nū̆cleus | — |
| 2 | Latin | nuculea | pertaining to a small nut |
| 3 | Latin | -eus | argentum + API → argenteus; ferrum + API →... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -εῖος | Forms adjectives, usually with a meaning of "of"... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHwós | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -wós | Creates adjectives from verb stems |
Words derived from “nuclear”