Etymology

fenbenicillin

F4E1N1B3E1N1I1C3I1L1L1I1N1

Today it means: A penicillin antibiotic. Full definition →

English penicillin ← Latin pēnicillum ← Proto-Italic *peznis
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰh₂nyéti
  3. Proto-Hellenic*pʰáňňō
  4. Ancient Greekφαίνω (phaínō)
  5. Frenchphéno-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*swel-der.?
  7. Ancient Greekῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)
  8. Frenchphényle
  9. Englishphenyl
  10. Englishpheno-
  11. Englishphen-
  12. Arabicلُبَان (lubān)
  13. Proto-Indo-European*yew-
  14. Proto-Indo-European*yéwos
  15. Proto-Indo-Iranian*yáwas
  16. Sanskritयव (yava)bor.?
  17. Proto-Austronesian*zawa
  18. Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*zawader.?
  19. Old Javanesejawa
  20. Old JavaneseJawi
  21. Javaneseꦗꦮꦶ (jawi)
  22. Arabicجَاوَة (jāwa)
  23. Arabicـِيّ (-iyy)
  24. Arabicجَاوِيّ (jāwiyy)
  25. Arabicلُبَان جَاوِيّ (lubān jāwiyy)
  26. Catalanbenjuí
  27. Middle Frenchbenjoin
  28. Englishbenzoin
  29. Englishbenzo-
  30. Englishbenz-
  31. Ancient Greekῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)
  32. Englishbenzyl
  33. Proto-Indo-European*pes-
  34. Proto-Indo-European*pes-ni-s
  35. Proto-Italic*peznis
  36. Latinpēnis
  37. Latinpēniculus
  38. Latinpēnicillum
  39. Englishpenicillin
  40. English todayfenbenicillin

From phen- + ben(zyl) + (pen)icillin.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.