Etymograph

English

biotin

Biotin comes from Ancient Greek βίοτος ‘life’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wo-teh₂.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷih₃wo-teh₂reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβίοτοςbíotos‘life’
  3. Germanc. 1650–presentBiotin
  4. Englishtodaybiotin

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷih₃wo-teh₂reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβίοτοςbíotos‘life’
  3. Germanc. 1650–presentBiotin
  4. Englishtodaybiotin

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wo-teh₂

viable, vitamin, vita, 3 more

Today it means

noun A sulfur-containing member of the vitamin B complex, 5-[(3aS,4S,6aR)-2-oxohexahydro-1H-thieno[3,4-d]imidazol-4-yl]pentanoic acid, found in liver, egg yolk, milk, and yeast, essential to the activity of multiple enzyme systems.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wo-teh₂ / biotin

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