Where does “nucleus” come from?
Nucleus comes from Latin nucleus, the diminutive of Latin nux meaning "nut," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ken- meaning "to scratch or scrape."
nucleus (English): The core, central part of something, around which...
Definitions
- The core, central part of something, around which...
Ancestry of “nucleus”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | nū̆cleus | (small) nut |
| 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 “nucleus”