Where does “nucleic acid” come from?
nucleic acid (English) comes from English acid, from French acide, from Latin acidus, from Latin aceō, from Proto-Italic akēō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱ-éh₁-ye-ti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱ- — sharp.
nucleic acid (English): Any acidic, chainlike biological macromolecule...
Definitions
- Any acidic, chainlike biological macromolecule...
Ancestry of “nucleic acid”, step by step
nucleic acid traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English acid
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | acid | Sour, sharp, or biting to the taste; tart; having... |
| 2 | French | acide | acid, acidic, sour, tart; acid, acidic; acid |
| 3 | Latin | acidus | sour, tart, acid, bitter; harsh, grating, rough,... |
| 4 | Latin | aceō | to be sour |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | akēō | be sharp-tasting, be sour |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eḱ-éh₁-ye-ti | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eḱ- | sharp |
via English nucleic
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nucleic | Referring to the nucleus of something |
| 2 | French | nucléique | nucleic |
| 3 | French | -ique | Used to form adjectives from nouns: -ic, -ical,... |
| 4 | Middle French | -ique | ic |
| 5 | Old French | -ique | -ic |
| 6 | Latin | -icus | belonging to; derived from; of or pertaining to;... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *-ikos | forms adjectives with the sense of 'of or pertaining to' |