Morphology

astro- “stars” + -naut “sailor”

Morphology

dent- “teeth” + -ist “someone who does”

Etymology

Dent is the Old French word for teeth.

Etymology

From Latin globus meaning spherical shape.

Etymology

From Old Norse illr meaning bad or evil.

Etymology

Short for laboratory.

Etymology

Robot comes from the Czech word robota meaning forced labour. The word changed from robota to robot when a Czech writer wrote a book called Rossum's Universal Robots and it's been robot ever since.

Morphology

tele- “long distance” + -scope “a viewing tool”

Etymology

UFO is an acronym of Unidentified Flying Object.

Etymology

Volt is named after Italian scientist Alessandro Volta, who invented the electric battery and discovered methane.

Morphology

ac- “a different way of spelling ad- meaning to” + -celer(are)- (Latin) “hasten” -ate “forming a verb”

Etymology

From Latin accelerat meaning hastened.

Morphology

aero- “air” + -naut “sailor”

Etymology

A portmanteau word combining animated and electronics.

Morphology

anti- “against” + -septic “infection”

Morphology

aqua- “water” + -naut “sailor”

Morphology

aqua- “water” + -(a)rium “a place”

Morphology

aqua- “water” + -(a)tic “forming adjectives”

Morphology

astr(o)- “stars” + -oid “looking like a certain shape”

Morphology

astr(o)- “stars” + -ology “study of”

Morphology

atmo(s)- “vapour” + -sphere “ball”

Morphology

bio- “life” + -(o)logy “study of”

Morphology

chlor(os)- (Greek) “yellowish-green” + -ine “forming names of halogens”

Etymology

From Greek chloros meaning yellowish-green. This is because it produces a gas of this colour.

Etymology

From Greek khroma meaning colour.

Morphology

chron- “long time” + -ic “forming adjectives”

Morphology

chron- “long time” + -ology “study of”

Morphology

corona- “crown” + -virus

Etymology

Corona is Latin meaning crown, it is called coronavirus because of the spikes that come out of the the virus which look similar to the shape of crown.

Etymology

From Greek krater meaning mixing-bowl because of the shape.

Morphology

epi- “among” + -dem(os)- “people” + -ic “forming nouns”

Etymology

From the Greek word epidemos, epi- meaning upon and demos meaning people.

Morphology

franc- “short for France” + -ium “ending for metallic elements”

Etymology

Nuclear chemist Marguerite Perey was a former student of Marie Curie (See Curium), Mraguerite discovered the 87th element in the periodic table and named it after her home country of France.

Morphology

fruct- “fruit” + -ose “containing sugar”

Etymology

From Latin fructus meaning fruit.

Morphology

geo- “earth” + -(o)logy “study of”

Morphology

gluc(o)- “sweet” + -ose “containing sugar”

Etymology

From Greek gleukos meaning sweet wine.

Etymology

A portmanteau (two words blended together) of hazardous and material

Morphology

hel(ios)- “sun” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

From Greek helios meaning sun as it was discovered from the rays during an eclipse.

Morphology

hibern(a)- “winter quarters” + -ate “verb forming part”

Etymology

From Latin hiberna meaning winter quarters.

Morphology

hydro- “water” + -gen “a substance that produces something”

Morphology

infra- “beneath” + -red

Morphology

in- “inside” + -ject “throw”

Morphology

lact- “milik” + -ose “containing sugar”

Etymology

From Latin lac meaning milk.

Etymology

Laser is an acronym of light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.

Morphology

lith(os)- “stone” + -ium “ending for metallic elements”

Orthography

lith is also seen in lithosphere.

Etymology

From Greek lithos meaning stone.

Etymology

Latin meaning light.

Morphology

lumin- “light” + -osity “making -ous words nouns”

Orthography

-ous to -osity to make it a noun (e.g. curious to curiousity)

Etymology

See lumen

Orthography

-ux is also seen in words like dux which means “leader” or more recently, Valedictorian

Etymology

From Latin meaning light or a slang shortening of luxury.

Morphology

micro- “small” + -scope “a tool for looking”

Morphology

mono- “one” + -dont “tooth”

Morphology

mono- “one” + -ped “foot or leg”

Etymology

From French monopede, a monster with one foot.

Etymology

Muscle comes from the Latin word musculus the mus meaning mouse as it was believed they were shaped like mice.

Etymology

German miners called it kupfernickel meaning Saint Nicholas’ copper as the ore they found was red and reminded them of Father Christmas.

Morphology

ortho- (Greek) “straight or correct” + -dont- “tooth” + -ist “someone who does”

Etymology

From Greek ortho meaning straight or correct and odont meaning tooth.

Morphology

pan- “all” + -dem(os)- “people” + -ic “forming nouns”

Etymology

From Greek pandemos, pan- meaning all and demos meaning people. The word meaning spread to all people.

Morphology

para- “alongside” + -medic “a medical person”

Morphology

platin(a)- (Spanish) “inferior silver” + -ium “ending for metallic elements”

Etymology

The Spanish platina meaning inferior silver. This is because Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century only wanted gold but kept finding platinum.

Morphology

quarant- “forty days” + -ine “noun forming part”

Etymology

From the Italian word quaranta meaning forty days, called this because ships coming in from countries hit by the plague were kept in ports for this time..

Morphology

re- “do again” + -spir(e)- “breathe” + -ation “making a noun from a verb”

Morphology

re- “do again” + -spir(e)- “breathe” + -atory “forming an adjective from a verb”

Morphology

re- “do again” + -spire “breathe”

Morphology

sanit- “health” + -ary “relating to”

Etymology

From Latin via French sanitas meaning health.

Etymology

An abbreviation of Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

Morphology

son(us)- “sound” + -ic “forming adjectives”

Etymology

From Latin sonus meaning sound.

Morphology

struct- “to build” + -ure “a noun made from an action”

Etymology

From Latin structura meaning to build.

Morphology

therm(o)- “heat” + -al “relating to”

Etymology

From Chinese via Greek, Arabic and Portuguese, tai fung meaning big wind.

Morphology

ultra- “extreme” + -son(us)- “sound” + -ic “forming adjectives”

Etymology

See sonic.

Morphology

ultra- “extreme” + -violet

Morphology

vacc(a)- (Latin) “cow” + -ine “noun forming part”

Etymology

From Latin vacca meaning cow as the idea of vaccination came from using the cowpox virus to fight smallpox.

Morphology

vary- “change” + -able “capable”

Orthography

Dropping the Y for an I when a vowel comes afterwards.

Etymology

Named after the Roman god of fire, Vulcan.

Morphology

x- “unknown value” + -ray “a line that radiation travels in”

Etymology

Known as x-ray as when the rays were discovered it was unknown what they did.

Etymology

The mixture potash was made normally burning a herb called kali (see potassium). This is why potassium's symbol is K.

Morphology

americ(a)- + -ium “ending for a metalic element”

Etymology

Named after America.

Morphology

an- “without” + -aesthesia “sensation”

Etymology

From Greek anaisthesia meaning without sensation.

Etymology

an- “without” + -aisthesis- (Greek) “feeling” + -ic “forming adjectives”

Morphology

andr- “man” + -oid “resembling”

Morphology

anthrop- “human” + -ic “forming adjectives”

Morphology

anthrop- “human” + -ical “relating to”

Morphology

anthrop- “human” + -ology “study of”

Morphology

archae- “ancient” + -olog(y)- “study of” + -ist “someone who does”

Morphology

archae- “ancient” + -ology “study of”

Etymology

From Greek arkhaios meaning ancient.

Etymology

From Greek argos meaning lazy. This is because the discoverers couldn’t get it to react with anything.

Morphology

arthr- “joint” + -itis “disease to do with inflammation”

Etymology

From Greek athron meaning joint

Morphology

astat- “unstable” + -ine “forming names of halogens”

Etymology

From Greek astastos meaning unstable.

Morphology

astro- “stars” + -bio- “life” + -(o)logy “study of”

Morphology

bar(ys)- (Greek) “heavy” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

From Greek barys meaning heavy.

Morphology

berkel- “named after Berkely, California” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after the place of its discovery, the University of California, Berkeley.

Morphology

bio- “life” + -sphere “ball”

Morphology

brom- “stench” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

From Greek bromos meaning stench, because of its smell.

Morphology

caes- “sky-blue” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

From Latin caesius meaning sky blue. This is the colour the flame that element produces when set alight.

Morphology

californ- “named after the University of California” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after the place of its discovery, the University of California.

Morphology

cardio- “heart” + -(o)logy “study of”

Morphology

chrom- “colour” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

From Greek chroma meaning colour (see chroma) as chromium has many different colour compounds.

Etymology

From German kobold meaning goblin or evil spirit. This is because it is difficult to extract and normally found with the poisonous arsenic oxide.

Morphology

copernic- “named after astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after Nicolaus Copernicus, who was an astronomer that first suggested that the Earth orbits the sun rather than the other way round.

Morphology

cur(ie)- “named after Marie and Pierre Curie” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after Marie and Pierre Curie

Morphology

darmstadt- “named after Darmstadt, Germany” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after the GSI in Darmstadt, Germany. This is where bohrium, hassium, meitnerium, darmstadtium, roentgenium and copernicium were discovered.

Morphology

de- “remove” + -saline- “containing salt” + -ate “forming a verb”

Etymology

From Latin sal meaning salt.

Morphology

de- “remove” + -saline- “containing salt” + -at(e)- “forming a verb” + -tion “making words ending in -t or -te a noun”

Etymology

From Latin sal meaning salt.

Morphology

dubn- “named after a place called Dubna” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after the JINR in Dubna, where scientists have either discovered, co-discovered or confirmed every man-made super-heavy element in the current periodic table.

Morphology

dyspros(itos)- (Greek) “difficult to get” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

From Greek dysprositos meaning difficult to get, as the discoverer had to do a procedure 30 times before getting a sample of dysprosium

Morphology

einstein- “named after scientist Albert Einstein” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after famous scientist Albert Einstein.

Morphology

erb- “short for Ytterby” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after a suburb in Sweden called Ytterby (See yttrium, see terbium).

Morphology

europ- “named after Europe” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after Europium

Morphology

ferm- “named after physicist Enrico Fermi” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after an Italian physicist called Enrico Fermi.

Morphology

flerov- “named after scientist Georgy Flyorov” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after the founder of the JINR laboratory in Russia, Georgy Flyorov.

Morphology

gall(ia) “France” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

May be named after Latin gallia meaning France, which is where the discoverer was from. Or it may be from Latin gallus meaning rooster, which in France is le coq and the discover was called Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran.

Morphology

holm- “short for Stockholm” + -ium “ending for metallic elements”

Etymology

Named after the discoverer’s home and capital of Sweden, Stockholm.

Etymology

Named after James Prescott Joule who discovered the first law of thermodynamics

Etymology

From Greek krupton meaning hidden.

Etymology

From Greek lanthanein meaning to lie hidden. This is because the discoverer found it hiding in cerium salts.

Morphology

lawrenc- "named after scientist Ernest Lawrence" + -ium "ending for metallic elements

Etymology

Named after Ernest Lawrence, who invented the cyclotron particle accelerator. This has helped discover new elements.

Morphology

litho- “stone” + -sphere “globe”

Morphology

livermor- "named after Lawrence Livermore National Lab" + -ium "ending for metallic elements

Etymology

Named after the Lawrence Livermore National Lab in the US.

Morphology

lutet(ia)- (Latin) “Paris” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

From Latin for Paris, Lutetia.

Morphology

mal- “ill” + -nutrition “fed”

Morphology

meitner- “named after scientist Lise Meitner” + -ium “ending for elements

Etymology

Named after Lise Meitner, who was one of the discoverers of protactinium”

Morphology

mendelev- “named after Dmitri Mendeleev” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after Dmitri Mendeleev, who came up with the modern periodic table design.

Etymology

A portmanteau (two words blended together) combining modulator and demodulator.

Morphology

mono- “one” + -arthritis “joint pain

Morphology

mono- “one” + -dactyl “finger”

Morphology

mosco- “named after the Russian capital Moscow” + -(v)ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after the capital of Russia, Moscow.

Morphology

neptun(e)- “named after the planet Neptune” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after the planet Neptune.

Morphology

nihon- (Japanese) “Japan” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

From Japanese Nihon meaning the Land of the Rising Sun or more simply, Japan.

Etymology

Named after Yuri Oganessian, who worked at the JINR.

Morphology

osm(e)- “odour” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

From Greek osme meaning odour as the discoverer hated the smell.

Etymology

From the Greek phrase phosphoros meaning bringer of light.

Morphology

photo- “light” + -syn- “together” + -thesis “put”

Morphology

pluto- “dwarf planet” + -(n)ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

From Greek pneumōn meaning lung.

Morphology

pneumon- (Greek) “lung” + -ia “forming nouns straight from Latin or Greek”

Etymology

From Greek pneumōn meaning lung.

Morphology

pneumon- (Greek) “lung” + -ic “forming adjectives”

Morphology

potass- “potash, a solution key in discovering the element” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after a solution called potash, where plants were burnt and the ash was mixed with water in a pot. Pot ash. This isolates potassium. (See alkali)

Morphology

propog(o)- (Latin) “young shoot” + -ate “verb forming part”

Etymology

From the Latin word propago meaning young shoot.

Etymology

psych- “mind” + -ology “study of”

Etymology

Stands for Rapid Eye Movement.

Morphology

rhod(on)- “rose-coloured” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

From Greek rhodon meaning rose-coloured, as it produces red salts.

Morphology

roentgen- “named after scientist Wilhelm Roentgen” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after Wilhelm Roentgen, who won the first ever Nobel prize in physics.

Morphology

rubid- “deep red” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

From Latin rubidus meaning deepest red. This is the colour that the flame is when it is set alight. (See caesium).

Morphology

rutherford- “named after Ernest Rutherford” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after Ernest Rutherford, who discovered the nucleus and the proton in atoms.

Morphology

seaborg- “named after scientist Glenn T. Seaborg” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after Glenn T. Seaborg, who either discovered or was key in the discovery of many elements.

Morphology

selen- “moon” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

From Greek selēnē meaning moon.

Etymology

Sonar is an acronym of Sound navigation and ranging.

Morphology

stront- “short for Strontian” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after Strontian, a village in the Scottish Highlands.

Morphology

tellus(r)- “Earth” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

From Latin tellus meaning Earth, as it was the only planet in our solar system not to have an element named after it.

Morphology

tenness- “short for Tennessee” + -ine “ending for halogens.

Etymology

Named after the US state of Tennessee where the Oakridge National Lab is located.

Morphology

terb- “short for Ytterby” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after a suburb in Sweden called Ytterby (See yttrium, see erbium).

Morphology

tsu- “harbour” + -nami “wave”

Etymology

From Japanese words tsu meaning harbour and nami meaning wave.

Etymology

From Swedish tung sten meaning heavy stone.

Morphology

uran(us)- “a planet in our solar system” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after the planet Uranus.

Etymology

Ventilate comes from the Latin word ventilat meaning blown or wind.

Morphology

ventilat(e)- “causes air to enter and move around” + -or “something that does”

Etymology

Named after an engineer called James Watt who improved the steam engine.

Etymology

From Greek xenos meaning stranger (see xenophobia).

Morphology

ytterb- “short for Ytterby” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after Ytterby a small suburb in Stockholm, Sweden.

Morphology

yttr- “short for Ytterby” + -ium “ending for elements”

Etymology

Named after Ytterby a small suburb in Stockholm, Sweden.