Etymology

proto-oncogene

Today it means: A gene, promoting the specialization and division of normal cells, that could become an oncogene due to mutation. Full definition →

English oncogene ← New Latin onco- ← Ancient Greek ὄγκος (ónkos)
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-der.?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*pér
  3. Proto-Indo-European*pró
  4. Ancient Greekπρό (pró)
  5. Ancient Greekπρῶτος (prôtos)
  6. Ancient Greekπρωτο- (prōto-)
  7. Englishproto-
  8. Ancient Greekὄγκος (ónkos)
  9. New Latinonco-
  10. Englishonco-
  11. Englishgene
  12. Englishoncogene
  13. English todayproto-oncogene

From proto- + oncogene.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.