Etymograph

English

nematic

Nematic comes from Ancient Greek νῆμα ‘thread’, from νέω ‘to spin’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)neh₁-‘to spin’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνέω‘to spin’
  3. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEνῆμαnêma‘thread’
  4. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEνήματοςnḗmatosgenitive of νῆμα
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1984nematic

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)neh₁-‘to spin’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνέω‘to spin’
  3. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEνῆμαnêma‘thread’
  4. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEνήματοςnḗmatosgenitive of νῆμα
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1984nematic

Earliest quotation: 1984, L D Landau, L. P. Pitaevskii: “It is easy to see, however, that the same…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁- ‘to spin’

nervous, nerve, needle, nous, neuron, adder, sinew, 9 more

Today it means

adj Whose molecules align in loose parallel lines.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁- / nematic

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