Where does “oligonucleotide” come from?
Oligonucleotide comes from English oligo- and nucleotide, where nucleotide derives from English nucleus and the suffix -ide, with nucleus from Latin nucleus meaning kernel, ultimately from Latin nux meaning nut, traced to Proto-Indo-European ken-.
oligonucleotide (English): A short sequence of nucleotides (RNA or DNA), typically with twenty or fewer base pairs
Definitions
- A short sequence of nucleotides (RNA or DNA), typically with twenty or fewer base pairs
Ancestry of “oligonucleotide”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nucleotide | The monomer constituting DNA or RNA biopolymer... |
| 2 | English | nucleo- | Forming words pertaining to nuclei |
| 3 | Latin | nū̆cleus | (small) nut |
| 4 | Latin | nuculea | pertaining to a small nut |
| 5 | Latin | -eus | argentum + API → argenteus; ferrum + API →... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -εῖος | Forms adjectives, usually with a meaning of "of"... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHwós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -wós | Creates adjectives from verb stems |