Where does “atom” come from?
atom (Hungarian) comes from English atom, from Middle English attome, from Middle French athome, from Latin atomus, from Ancient Greek ἄτομος, from Ancient Greek ἀ-, from Proto-Hellenic hə-, from Proto-Indo-European sm̥- — together, one.
atom (Hungarian): atom
Ancestry of “atom”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | atom | The smallest possible amount of matter which... |
| 2 | Middle English | attome | atom |
| 3 | Middle French | athome | atom |
| 4 | Latin | atomus | indivisible; an atom, particle incapable of being... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἄτομος | uncut; indivisible, not capable of being... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἀ- | The alpha privativum, used to make words that... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | hə- | same; together |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sm̥- | one; with, together |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |
Words derived from “atom”