Where does “tetracarboxylic acid” come from?

tetracarboxylic acid (English) comes from English tetra, from Translingual Tetragonopterus, from Ancient Greek πτερόν, from Proto-Indo-European péth₂r̥, from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- — to spread out; to fly.

tetracarboxylic acid (English): Any organic compound having four carboxylic acid groups

Definitions

  1. Any organic compound having four carboxylic acid groups

Ancestry of “tetracarboxylic acid”, step by step

tetracarboxylic acid traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English tetra

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtetraAny of numerous species of small South American...
2TranslingualTetragonopterus
3Ancient Greekπτερόνfeather; wing; Any winged creature
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpéth₂r̥wing; feather
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpeth₂-to spread out; to fly

via English carboxylic acid

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishcarboxylic acidAny of a class of organic compounds containing a...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peth₂-Every word from Proto-Indo-European péth₂r̥Every word from Ancient Greek πτερόν
tetracarboxylic acid — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer