Where does “smectite” come from?

Smectite comes from French smectite, from Latin smectites, from Ancient Greek smektítēs, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -teh₂ts, a suffix forming agent nouns.

smectite (English): Any of many clay phyllosilicate minerals that...

Definitions

  1. Any of many clay phyllosilicate minerals that...

Ancestry of “smectite”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekσμήχωto scrub; to wipe off by help of soap or unguent

Words derived from “smectite

Every word from Ancient Greek σμήχω
smectite — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer