Where does “oligotrophic” come from?
Oligotrophic comes from Ancient Greek ὀλίγος meaning "few" combined with τροφή meaning "nourishment" from τρέφω meaning "to nourish," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots -kos and -eh₂.
oligotrophic (English): deficient in nutrition; deficient in plant...
Definitions
- deficient in nutrition; deficient in plant...
Ancestry of “oligotrophic”, step by step
oligotrophic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English oligo
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | oligo | An oligonucleotide |
| 2 | English | oligonucleotide | A short sequence of nucleotides (RNA or DNA), typically with twenty or fewer base pairs |
| 3 | English | nucleotide | The monomer constituting DNA or RNA biopolymer... |
| 4 | English | nucleo- | Forming words pertaining to nuclei |
| 5 | Latin | nū̆cleus | (small) nut |
| 6 | Latin | nuculea | pertaining to a small nut |
| 7 | Latin | -eus | argentum + API → argenteus; ferrum + API →... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | -εῖος | Forms adjectives, usually with a meaning of "of"... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHwós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -wós | Creates adjectives from verb stems |
via English trophic
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | trophic | Of or pertaining to nutrition; Describing the... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | τροφικός | of or pertaining to food, nourishment; tending,... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | τροφή | nourishment, food; nurture, rearing, upbringing;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τρέφω | to thicken, congeal, curdle; to make to grow, to... |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | tʰrépʰō | — |