Where does “spirochete” come from?
spirochete (Italian) comes from Italian spirocheta, from Translingual Spirochaeta, from Ancient Greek χαίτη, from Proto-Indo-European gʰeh₂it- — curly hair.
spirochete (Italian): plural of spirocheta
Ancestry of “spirochete”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | spirocheta | spirochete |
| 2 | Translingual | Spirochaeta | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | χαίτη | loose, flowing hair; used especially of back... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰeh₂it- | curly hair |