Etymograph

English

macrometabolism

Macrometabolism comes from Ancient Greek μετᾰβολή ‘change’, and goes back to μεταβάλλω ‘to translate’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμεταβάλλωmetabállō‘to translate’
  2. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEμετᾰβολήmetăbolḗ‘change’
  3. English1500–presentmetabolism
  4. Englishtodaymacrometabolism

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμεταβάλλωmetabállō‘to translate’
  2. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEμετᾰβολήmetăbolḗ‘change’
  3. English1500–presentmetabolism
  4. Englishtodaymacrometabolism

A compound of μετᾰ́ ‘in the midst of, among, between, with’ + μετα- + βάλλω ‘to throw, cast, hurl’

Proto-Indo-European *me ‘in the middle of, near, by, around, with’

Proto-Indo-European *meth₂

Ancient Greek μετᾰ́ ‘in the midst of, among, between, with’

Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to throw, reach, pierce’

Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō

Ancient Greek βάλλω ‘to throw, cast, hurl’

Linked words

through Ancient Greek μεταβάλλω ‘to translate’

metabolic, 27 more

through Ancient Greek μετᾰβολή ‘change’

metabolize, 25 more

Today it means

noun All the large-scale metabolic processes, cycles etc.

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

Etymograph / Ancient Greek μεταβάλλω / macrometabolism