Etymology

benzethonium

B3E1N1Z10E1T1H4O1N1I1U1M3

Today it means: A quaternary ammonium cation, N-benzyl-N,N-dimethyl-2-{2-[4-(2,4,4-trimethylpentan-2-yl)phenoxy]ethoxy}ethanaminium, whose chloride is an industrial disinfectant. Full definition →

English onium ← New Latin ammōnium ← German Ethy
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The story

  1. Arabicلُبَان (lubān)
  2. Proto-Indo-European*yew-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*yéwos
  4. Proto-Indo-Iranian*yáwas
  5. Sanskritयव (yava)bor.?
  6. Proto-Austronesian*zawa
  7. Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*zawader.?
  8. Old Javanesejawa
  9. Old JavaneseJawi
  10. Javaneseꦗꦮꦶ (jawi)
  11. Arabicجَاوَة (jāwa)
  12. Arabicـِيّ (-iyy)
  13. Arabicجَاوِيّ (jāwiyy)
  14. Arabicلُبَان جَاوِيّ (lubān jāwiyy)
  15. Catalanbenjuí
  16. Middle Frenchbenjoin
  17. Englishbenzoin
  18. Englishbenzo-
  19. Englishbenz-
  20. Proto-Indo-European*swel-der.?
  21. Ancient Greekῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)
  22. Englishbenzyl
  23. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eydʰ-
  24. Proto-Hellenic*áitʰō
  25. Ancient Greekαἴθω (aíthō)
  26. Ancient Greekᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr)influ.?
  27. Ancient Greekαἰθήρ (aithḗr)
  28. Latinaethēr
  29. GermanÄther
  30. GermanEther
  31. Ancient Greekῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)
  32. GermanEthy
  33. Englishethyl
  34. New Latinammōnium
  35. Englishammonium
  36. Englishonium
  37. English todaybenzethonium

From benz(yl) + eth(yl) + -onium (“quaternary ammonium compound”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.