Where does “sphincter” come from?
sphincter (French) comes from Latin sphincter, from Ancient Greek σφιγκτήρ, from Ancient Greek -τήρ, from Proto-Indo-European -tḗr — Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
sphincter (French): sphincter
Ancestry of “sphincter”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | sphincter | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | σφιγκτήρ | that which binds tight, lace, band; muscle which... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | -τήρ | Added to verb stems to form masculine agent nouns |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |