photosynthesis
Meaningputting together by light
Common meaning: how plants make food from light
- photlightLiddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), p. 878 · scan
- syntogether, at once
- thesto set, placeLiddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), p. 363 · scan
- isGreek noun ending marking an act or process
‘light’ + ‘together, at once’ + ‘to set, place’ → photosynthesis
Journey through time
Neither part’s path through time is traced in our sources yet; each root is shown from its dictionary entry.
- phot — Greek φῶς, φωτός “light” (dictionary form; path not traced)
- thes — Greek τίθημι; θέσις “to set, place” (dictionary form; path not traced)
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Greek φῶς ‘light’ + Greek τίθημι; θέσις ‘to set, place’.
Did you know (Greek tithenai, "to…): our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry τίθημι, p. 363 · dictionary scan
Did you know (Greek phos, light,…): our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry φῶς, p. 878 · dictionary scan
Roots
- τίθημι; θέσις Greek “to set, place”
- φῶς, φωτός Greek “light”
Related words
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