Etymology

phytophagy

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Today it means: The eating of plants. Full definition →

Ancient Greek ἔφᾰγον (éphăgon) ← Proto-Indo-European *bʰh₂g- ← English phyto-
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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. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂g-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*bʰh₂g-
  9. Ancient Greekἔφᾰγον (éphăgon)
  10. English todayphytophagy

From phyto- (“plant”) + -phagy (“to feed on”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.