Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “particle” come from?

Particle comes from Middle French particule, meaning a small part or portion.

particle (English): A very small piece of matter, a fragment;...

Definitions

  1. A very small piece of matter, a fragment;...

Ancestry of “particle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchparticule—
2Latinparticulasmall part, particle
3Latinparspart, side, piece, share; some; faction
4Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “particle”

  • nanoparticle
  • interparticle
  • antiparticle
  • quasiparticle
  • microparticle
  • macroparticle
  • intraparticle
  • astroparticle
  • multiparticle
  • superparticle
  • bioparticle
  • sparticle
  • pseudoparticle
  • monoparticle
  • paraparticle
  • geoparticle
  • nanobioparticle
  • unparticle
  • ferroparticle
  • antiquasiparticle
  • antisparticle
  • cosmoparticle
  • glyconanoparticle
  • multiquasiparticle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →