Etymology

protocell

P3R1O1T1O1C3E1L1L1

Today it means: A self-organized, endogenously ordered, spherical collection of phospholipids proposed as a stepping-stone to the origin of life Full definition →

English cell ← Ancient Greek πρωτο- (prōto-) ← Proto-Indo-European *pró
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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. Englishcell
  9. English todayprotocell

From proto- + cell.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.