Etymology

photocatalytic

P3H4O1T1O1C3A1T1A1L1Y4T1I1C3

Today it means: Of, pertaining to, or obtained by photocatalysis. Full definition →

English catalytic ← 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. Englishcatalytic
  9. English todayphotocatalytic

From photo- + catalytic.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.