Where does “chiasma” come from?
chiasma (New Latin) comes from Ancient Greek χῑ́ασμα, from Ancient Greek χῑάζω, from Ancient Greek Χ, from Ancient Greek Χριστός, from Ancient Greek χρίω, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrēy-, from Proto-Indo-European gʰer- — to rub; to stroke; to grind.
Ancestry of “chiasma”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | χῑ́ασμα | crosspiece |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | χῑάζω | to behave like a Chian |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | Χ | Chi; chi |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | Χριστός | anointed; messiah; annointed, the annointed one,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | χρίω | to rub or smear (especially the body) with oil or unguents; to anoint |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrēy- | to smear; to paint, streak, smear |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰer- | to rub; to stroke; to grind |