Where does “radionuclide” come from?
Radionuclide is an English compound of radioactive and nuclide, which derives from Latin nucleus, a diminutive of nux meaning nut, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ken-.
radionuclide (English): a radioactive nuclide
Definitions
- a radioactive nuclide
Ancestry of “radionuclide”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nuclide | An atomic nucleus specified by its atomic number... |
| 2 | English | nucleus | The core, central part of something, around which... |
| 3 | Latin | nū̆cleus | (small) nut |
| 4 | Latin | nuculea | pertaining to a small nut |
| 5 | Latin | -eus | argentum + API → argenteus; ferrum + API →... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -εῖος | Forms adjectives, usually with a meaning of "of"... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHwós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -wós | Creates adjectives from verb stems |