Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “polypeptide” come from?

Polypeptide comes from Ancient Greek πολύς (polús, "many") and πεπτός (peptós, "digested"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁-.

polypeptide (English): Any polymer of amino acids joined via peptide...

Definitions

  1. Any polymer of amino acids joined via peptide...

Ancestry of “polypeptide”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpeptideAny of a class of organic compounds consisting of...
2GermanPeptidpeptide
3Ancient Greekπεπτόςdigested; cooked
4Ancient GreekπέπτωAlternative form of πέσσω; ripen; I digest
5Ancient GreekπέσσωI soften, ripen; I boil, cook, bake; I digest
6Proto-Hellenicpéťťōto cook; to ripen
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpékʷ-ye-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpekʷ-to cook; to ripen
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃-ép-kʷ-—

Words derived from “polypeptide”

  • polypeptidic
  • copolypeptide
  • glycopolypeptide
  • polypeptidase
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃-ép-kʷ- →