Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “steroid” come from?

Steroid derives from English sterol, from Ancient Greek -ειδής meaning resembling, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weyd- meaning to see.

steroid (English): A class of organic compounds having a structure...

Definitions

  1. A class of organic compounds having a structure...

Ancestry of “steroid”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-oidOf similar form to, but not the same as. Having...
2Latin-oides-like, -form
3Greek-οending for "accusative singular" forms ; and some...
4Ancient GreekεἶδοςThat which is seen: form, image, shape;...
5Spanish-scopio-scope
6Latin-scopium—
7Ancient GreekσκοπέωI look, look at, behold; I examine, inspect; 413...
8Ancient Greekσκοπόςwatcher, lookout; protector, guardian; spy, scout
9Ancient GreekσκέπτομαιI look at, examine; I examine, consider, think
10Proto-Hellenicsképťomaito look at
11Proto-Indo-Europeanspéḱyetito be looking at, to keep looking at
12Proto-Indo-Europeanspeḱ-to see, to look, to observe

Words derived from “steroid”

  • corticosteroid
  • nonsteroidal
  • steroidal
  • steroidogenesis
  • steroidogenic
  • neurosteroid
  • nonsteroid
  • ecdysteroid
  • aminosteroid
  • ketosteroid
  • oxosteroid
  • neurosteroidogenesis
  • corticosteroidogenesis
  • hydroxycorticosteroid
  • noncorticosteroid
  • steroidlike
  • norsteroid
  • antisteroid
  • antisteroidogenic
  • corticosteroidal
  • steroidally
  • azasteroid
  • phytoecdysteroid
  • steroidogenetic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- →