Etymograph

English

bioactivity

Bioactivity comes from Latin āctīvitās ‘activity, movement, action’, from agō ‘to act, to behave’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti‘to be driving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*agō‘to drive’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagō‘to act, to behave’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctīvus‘active’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctīvitās‘activity, movement, action’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600activité
  8. English1500–presentactivity
  9. Englishtodaybioactivity

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti‘to be driving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*agō‘to drive’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagō‘to act, to behave’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctīvus‘active’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctīvitās‘activity, movement, action’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600activité
  8. English1500–presentactivity
  9. Englishtodaybioactivity

A compound of bio- + activity

Ancient Greek βίος ‘life’

English bio-

Latin āctīvitās ‘activity’

Middle French activité

English activity

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-

suggest, register, essay, gesture, acre, digest, congestion, agrarian, belligerent, progesterone, ingest, gestation, agitate, agger, samaj, axiomatic, gerund, gestion, 129 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti ‘to be driving’

strategy, agony, antagonist, axiom, antagonism, agonist, reactionary, antagonize, stratagem, glucagon, agonize, 102 more

through Proto-Italic *agō ‘to drive’

reaction, transaction, reagent, unambiguous, ambiguously, 80 more

through Latin agō ‘to act, to behave’

act, agency, agent, action, actual, actor, agenda, examine, examination, actively, squat, ambiguous, agile, assay, enact, inactive, agility, radioactive, ambiguity, agitation, cogent, actuator, retroactive, exigent, inexact, actuation, actuate, redact, 92 more

through Latin āctīvus ‘active’

active, activate, radium, 27 more

through English activity

hyperactivity, 18 more

Today it means

noun Biologic activity, such as biochemical or immunologic reactivity: the biologic effect (function or dysfunction, benefit or toxicity) of a substance.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- / bioactivity