Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “photocleavage” come from?

photocleavage (English) comes from English cleavage, from English cleave, from Middle English cleven, from Old English clēofian, from Proto-West Germanic klibēn, from Proto-Germanic klibāną, from Proto-Indo-European gleybʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European gley- — to be cold, to freeze.

photocleavage (English): The cleavage of a bond by photolysis

Definitions

  1. The cleavage of a bond by photolysis

Ancestry of “photocleavage”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcleavageThe act of cleaving or the state of being cleft;...
2EnglishcleaveTo split or sever something with, or as if with,...
3Middle EnglishclevenTo cleave; to split or slice through; To break...
4Old Englishclēofian—
5Proto-West Germanicklibēnto stick, to adhere
6Proto-Germanicklibānąto stick, to adhere
7Proto-Indo-Europeangleybʰ-to stick
8Proto-Indo-Europeangley-to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick...
9Proto-Indo-Europeangel-to be cold, to freeze
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gel- →