Where does “zerovalent” come from?

zerovalent (English) comes from English valent, from English Valence, from French Valence, from Latin Valentia, from Latin -ia, from Latin -ius, from Proto-Italic -jōs, from Proto-Indo-European -yós — Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems.

zerovalent (English): Having a valency of zero

Definitions

  1. Having a valency of zero

Ancestry of “zerovalent”, step by step

zerovalent traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English valent

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishvalentHaving valence
2EnglishValenceThe number of arguments that a verb can have, including its subject, ranging from zero to three or, less commonly, four
3FrenchValencevalence
4LatinValentiahealth, vigour, bodily strength
5Latin-iaUsed to form a feminine abstract noun, usually...
6Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
7Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
8Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems

via English zero

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishzeroThe cardinal number occurring before one and that...
2Middle Frenchzero
3ItalianZerozero
4New Latinzerum
5Medieval Latinzephirumzero
6Arabicصِفْرzero, nothing, empty, void; nothing, cipher;...
7Sanskritशून्यzero; cipher, cypher; blank, deserted
8Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱówH-
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yósEvery word from Latin -iaEvery word from Latin -ius