Etymology

photosystem

P3H4O1T1O1S1Y4S1T1E1M3

Today it means: Either of two biochemical systems, active in chloroplasts, that are part of photosynthesis Full definition →

English system ← 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. Englishsystem
  9. English todayphotosystem

From photo- + system.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.