Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “protozoa” come from?

protozoa (English) comes from English protozoon, from English zoön, from New Latin zōon, from Ancient Greek ζῷον, from Proto-Hellenic ďṓyyon, from Proto-Hellenic gʷyōwyon, from Proto-Indo-European gʷyeh₃w-y-om, from Proto-Indo-European gʷíh₃weti — to live.

protozoa (English): plural of protozoan; plural of protozoon

Definitions

  1. plural of protozoan; plural of protozoon

Ancestry of “protozoa”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishprotozoonA protozoan
2EnglishzoönAlternative spelling of zoon
3New Latinzōon—
4Ancient Greekζῷονanimal, beast; form, image
5Proto-Hellenicďṓyyonanimal, creature, beast
6Proto-Hellenicgʷyōwyon—
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʷyeh₃w-y-om—
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʷíh₃wetito live, to be alive
9Proto-Indo-Europeangʷih₃wósalive, living
10Proto-Indo-Europeangʷeih₃w-to live
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷeih₃w- →