Etymology

phytoene

P3H4Y4T1O1E1N1E1

Today it means: An acyclic polyunsaturated isoprenoid hydrocarbon that is the precursor of the biosynthesis of carotenoid pigments Full definition →

English phyto- ← Ancient Greek φῠτόν (phŭtón) ← Proto-Indo-European *bʰuHyéti
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰuH-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰuHyéti
  3. Ancient Greekφῠ́ω (phŭ́ō)
  4. Ancient Greekφῠτός (phŭtós)
  5. Ancient Greekφῠτόν (phŭtón)
  6. Englishphyto-
  7. English todayphytoene

From phyto- + -ene.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.