Etymology

saccharin

S1A1C3C3H4A1R1I1N1

Today it means: A white, crystalline powder, C₇H₅NO₃S, used as an artificial sweetener in food products. Full definition →

German Saccharin ← Latin saccharum ← Ancient Greek σάκχαρ (sákkhar)
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱorkeh₂
  2. Proto-Indo-Iranian*ćárkaraH
  3. Proto-Indo-Aryan*śárkaraH
  4. Sanskritशर्क॑रा (śárkarā)
  5. Palisakkharā
  6. Ancient Greekσάκχαρ (sákkhar)
  7. Latinsaccharon
  8. Latinsaccharum
  9. GermanSaccharin
  10. English todaysaccharin

From German Saccharin, coined in 1879 by the Russian-born chemist Constantin Fahlberg (1850–1910) who discovered it, from Latin saccharon, saccharum + -in.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.