Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nystagmus” come from?

Nystagmus comes from Latin nystagmus, from Ancient Greek νυσταγμός, derived from the Ancient Greek verb νυστάζω meaning to doze or nod off, with the noun-forming suffix -mós from Proto-Indo-European.

nystagmus (English): rapid involuntary eye movement, usually lateral

Definitions

  1. rapid involuntary eye movement, usually lateral

Ancestry of “nystagmus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1New Latinnystagmus—
2Ancient Greekνυσταγμόςdrowsiness
3Ancient Greek-μόςForms abstract nouns
4Proto-Indo-European-mósCreates action/result nouns from verb stems

Words derived from “nystagmus”

  • electronystagmography
  • nystagmic
  • electronystagmographic
  • electronystagmogram
  • nystagmography
  • vestibulonystagmography
  • nystagmiform
  • nystagmographic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -mós →