Etymology

cetalkonium

C3E1T1A1L1K5O1N1I1U1M3

Today it means: A form of benzalkonium in which the longer alkyl group is cetyl. Full definition →

English benzalkonium ← New Latin ammōnium ← Middle English alcofol
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The story

  1. Ancient Greekκῆτος (kêtos)
  2. Latincētus
  3. Proto-Indo-European*swel-der.?
  4. Ancient Greekῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)
  5. Englishcetyl
  6. Arabicلُبَان (lubān)
  7. Proto-Indo-European*yew-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*yéwos
  9. Proto-Indo-Iranian*yáwas
  10. Sanskritयव (yava)bor.?
  11. Proto-Austronesian*zawa
  12. Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*zawader.?
  13. Old Javanesejawa
  14. Old JavaneseJawi
  15. Javaneseꦗꦮꦶ (jawi)
  16. Arabicجَاوَة (jāwa)
  17. Arabicـِيّ (-iyy)
  18. Arabicجَاوِيّ (jāwiyy)
  19. Arabicلُبَان جَاوِيّ (lubān jāwiyy)
  20. Catalanbenjuí
  21. Middle Frenchbenjoin
  22. Englishbenzoin
  23. Englishbenzo-
  24. Englishbenz-
  25. Englishbenzyl
  26. Akkadian𒎎𒋆𒁉𒍣𒁕 (guḫlum)
  27. Aramaicכוחלא (kuḥlā)
  28. Arabicكُحْل (kuḥl)
  29. Andalusian Arabicكُحُول (kuḥūl)
  30. Medieval Latinalcoho
  31. Middle Englishalcofol
  32. Englishalc(ohol)
  33. Englishalkyl
  34. New Latinammōnium
  35. Englishammonium
  36. Englishonium
  37. Englishbenzalkonium
  38. English todaycetalkonium

Blend of cetyl + benzalkonium.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.