Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “proton” come from?

Proton comes from Ancient Greek πρῶτον, the neuter form of πρῶτος meaning first, from πρό meaning before, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós.

proton (English): A positively charged subatomic particle forming...

Definitions

  1. A positively charged subatomic particle forming...

Ancestry of “proton”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekπρῶτονnominative neuter singular of πρῶτος; accusative...
2Ancient Greekπρῶτοςfirst; earliest; foremost, most prominent
3Ancient Greekπρόbefore; before, in front, forth, forward; before,...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanprótoward, leading to
5Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “proton”

  • protonation
  • antiproton
  • deprotonation
  • protic
  • protonic
  • aprotic
  • diprotic
  • protonate
  • deprotonate
  • protonmotive
  • amphiprotic
  • antiprotonic
  • protonatable
  • interproton
  • protonophore
  • protonium
  • diproton
  • nonproton
  • quasiproton
  • protonolysis
  • nonprotic
  • reprotonate
  • photoproton
  • protonlike
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →