Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “phospho-” come from?

phospho- (English) comes from English Phosphorus, from Latin phōsphorus, from Ancient Greek Φωσφόρος, from Ancient Greek -φόρος, from Ancient Greek φέρω, from Proto-Hellenic pʰérō, from Proto-Indo-European bʰéreti, from Proto-Indo-European bʰēr- — shiny, light brown.

phospho- (English): phosphorus

Definitions

  1. phosphorus

Ancestry of “phospho-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishPhosphorus—
2Latinphōsphorus—
3Ancient GreekΦωσφόροςthe bearer of light
4Ancient Greek-φόρος-bearing, -carrying; carrying, bearing; bringing
5Ancient GreekφέρωI bring, bear, carry
6Proto-Hellenicpʰérōto bear
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰéretito be carrying
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰēr-shiny, light brown

Words derived from “phospho-”

  • phospholipid
  • phospholipase
  • phosphodiesterase
  • antiphospholipid
  • phosphodiester
  • phosphoinositide
  • phosphide
  • phosphoprotein
  • phosphotyrosine
  • phosphokinase
  • phosphoglycerate
  • phosphoenolpyruvate
  • phosphofructokinase
  • phosphocreatine
  • phosphotransferase
  • phosphoserine
  • phosphoribosyl
  • phosphoribosyltransferase
  • phosphopeptide
  • phospholipidosis
  • phosphocholine
  • phosphotungstic
  • phosphosulfate
  • bisphosphoglycerate
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰēr- →