Etymology

photocatalyst

P3H4O1T1O1C3A1T1A1L1Y4S1T1

Today it means: A substance that absorbs light and, in doing so, catalyzes a reaction. Full definition →

English catalyst ← Ancient Greek φωτο- (phōto-) ← Proto-Hellenic *pʰáwos
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéh₂os
  3. Proto-Hellenic*pʰáwos
  4. Ancient Greekφᾰ́ος (phắos)
  5. Ancient Greekφῶς (phôs)
  6. Ancient Greekφωτο- (phōto-)
  7. Englishphoto-
  8. Englishcatalysis
  9. Englishcatalyst
  10. English todayphotocatalyst

From photo- + catalyst.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.