Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “oligosaccharide” come from?

Oligosaccharide combines the prefix oligo- with saccharide, which derives from Latin saccharum, from Latin saccharon, from Pali sakkharā, from Sanskrit शर्करा meaning gravel or grit.

oligosaccharide (English): A polysaccharide of low molecular weight, being a...

Definitions

  1. A polysaccharide of low molecular weight, being a...

Ancestry of “oligosaccharide”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsaccharideThe unit structure of carbohydrates, of general...
2Englishsaccharo-sugar
3Latinsaccharumsugar
4Ancient Greekσάκχαρsugar; sugar cane
5Sanskritशर्कराgravel, grit, pebbles, shingle, gravelly mould or...
6Proto-Indo-AryanśárkaraH—
7Proto-Indo-IranianćárkaraH—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanḱorkeh₂gravel, boulder; boulder; gravel

Words derived from “oligosaccharide”

  • fructooligosaccharide
  • lipooligosaccharide
  • sialyloligosaccharide
  • galactooligosaccharide
  • maltooligosaccharide
  • oligosaccharidosis
  • oligosaccharidic
  • diphosphooligosaccharide
  • isomaltooligosaccharide
  • pseudooligosaccharide
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱorkeh₂ →