Etymology

theophylline

T1H4E1O1P3H4Y4L1L1I1N1E1

Today it means: A bitter crystalline compound present in small quantities in tea leaves, isomeric with theobromine; used as a drug in therapy for respiratory diseases. Full definition →

Ancient Greek φύλλον (phúllon) ← Proto-Hellenic [Term?] ← Proto-Indo-European *bʰolyom
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰleh₃-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰolyom
  3. Proto-Hellenic[Term?]
  4. Ancient Greekφύλλον (phúllon)
  5. English todaytheophylline

From Translingual Thea (“former genus name for the tea plant”) + Ancient Greek φύλλον (phúllon, “leaf”) + English -ine.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.