Where does “psychedelic” come from?

Psychedelic derives from Ancient Greek ψυχή (soul or mind) plus the suffix -η and -ᾱ, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂, referring to substances believed to reveal or manifest the soul.

psychedelic (English): Of, containing, generating, or reminiscent of...

Definitions

  1. Of, containing, generating, or reminiscent of...

Ancestry of “psychedelic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient GreekψυχήThe animating principle of a human or animal...
2Ancient Greek-ηAdded to verbal stems ending in a consonant to...
3Ancient Greek-ᾱnominal suffix
4Proto-Indo-European-éh₂—

Words derived from “psychedelic”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂ →Every word from Ancient Greek -η →Every word from Ancient Greek -ᾱ →