Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “radioisotope” come from?

Radioisotope is a modern English compound of radio- and isotope, which derives from Ancient Greek τόπος (topos), meaning place.

radioisotope (English): a radioactive isotope of an element

Definitions

  1. a radioactive isotope of an element

Ancestry of “radioisotope”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishisotopeAny of two or more forms of an element where the...
2Englishiso-equal; forms terms relating to isomers; forms...
3Ancient Greekῐ̓́σοςequal
4Ancient Greekβάροςweight, burden, load; grief, sorrow; plenty
5Ancient Greekβαρύςheavy, weighty; heavy, burdensome, oppressive;...
6Proto-Hellenicgʷarusheavy
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʷréh₂usheavy
8Proto-Indo-European-usForms adjectives from Caland system roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -us →