abiogenesis

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ǵénh₁tis“birth; production”
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gʷeyh₃-“to live”
3. Ancient Greek · derived fromἀ-“not-”
4. English todayabiogenesis

From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-, “not-”, the alpha privative) + βῐ́ος (bĭ́os, “life”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- (“to live”)) + γένεσις (génesis, “origin, source; manner of birth; creation”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁tis (“birth; production”)); equivalent to abio- + genesis. The words biogenesis and abiogenesis were both coined by English biologist Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–1895) in 1870 (see the quotation).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 1870 The origination of living organisms from lifeless matter; such genesis as does not involve the action of living parents.