English
diabetes
Diabetes comes from Latin diabētēs ‘siphon’, from Ancient Greek διαβαίνω ‘to pass through’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- ‘to come, to step’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷem-‘to come, to step’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷm̥yéti‘to come’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*gʷəňňōreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβαίνω‘to walk, step’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδιαβαίνωdiabaínō‘to pass through’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδιαβήτηςdiabḗtēs‘siphon’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiabētēs‘siphon’
- Englishearliest quotation 1649diabetes
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷem-‘to come, to step’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷm̥yéti‘to come’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*gʷəňňōreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβαίνω‘to walk, step’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδιαβαίνωdiabaínō‘to pass through’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδιαβήτηςdiabḗtēs‘siphon’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiabētēs‘siphon’
- Englishearliest quotation 1649diabetes
Earliest quotation: 1649, Nicholas Culpeper: “A Sheeps or Goats bladder being burnt, and the…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- ‘to come, to step’
come, coming, base, basic, basis, revenue, bass, venue, cum, convenience, pug, contravention, misadventure, quim, 55 more
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷm̥yéti ‘to come’
event, convention, adventure, avenue, inventory, advent, inventor, invent, intervene, souvenir, provenance, convene, revenant, circumvention, contravene, 34 more
through Ancient Greek βαίνω ‘to walk, step’
Today it means
noun Diabetes mellitus; any of a group of metabolic diseases whereby a person (or other animal) has high blood sugar due to an inability to produce, or inability to metabolize, sufficient quantities of the hormone insulin.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- / diabetes