photoactivate

P3H4O1T1O1A1C3T1I1V4A1T1E1

verb

To activate by means of photoactivation

OriginEnglish activate ← Middle English actyf ← Old French actif →
Scrabble 23
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Meanings

verbphotoactivate (third-person singular simple present photoactivates, present participle photoactivating, simple past and past participle photoactivated)

present singular third person photoactivates · participle present photoactivating · participle past photoactivated · past photoactivated

  1. To activate by means of photoactivation

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéh₂os
  3. Proto-Hellenic*pʰáwos
  4. Ancient Greekφᾰ́ος (phắos)
  5. Ancient Greekφῶς (phôs)
  6. Ancient Greekφωτο- (phōto-)
  7. Englishphoto-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eǵ-
  9. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éǵeti
  10. Proto-Italic*agō
  11. Latinagō
  12. Ancient Greekἐνεργητικός (energētikós)
  13. Latināctīvu
  14. Old Frenchactif
  15. Middle Englishactyf
  16. Englishactive
  17. Englishactivate
  18. Englishphotoactivate

From photo- + activate.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

photoactivate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photoactivate

MLA

“photoactivate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photoactivate. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “photoactivate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photoactivate.

Source: photoactivate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.