English
phosphate
Phosphate comes from French phosphore ‘phosphorus (element)’, from Ancient Greek φωσφόρος ‘that which brings light, light-bearing’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear, carry’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéreti‘to be carrying’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pʰérō‘to bear’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφέρωphérō‘to bring, bear, carry’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφῶς‘light’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφωσφόροςphōsphóros‘that which brings light, light-bearing’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEphōsphorus
- Frenchc. 1600–presentphosphore‘phosphorus (element)’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentphosphate
- Englishearliest quotation 1920same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear, carry’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéreti‘to be carrying’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pʰérō‘to bear’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφέρωphérō‘to bring, bear, carry’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφῶς‘light’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφωσφόροςphōsphóros‘that which brings light, light-bearing’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEphōsphorus
- Frenchc. 1600–presentphosphore‘phosphorus (element)’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentphosphate
- Englishearliest quotation 1920same form
Earliest quotation: 1920, Irving P. Fox, The Spatula: “An egg phosphate is a phosphate to which an…”
Equivalent to phosphoric acid + -ate ‘salt or ester’
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’
bar, birth, prefer, broad, suffering, bread, fortune, burden, differently, bearing, barrel, barn, bore, fury, baron, breeze, bark, berth, indifferent, broom, barrow, differentiation, embargo, fret, infertility, ferret, deference, infertile, insufferable, differentially, furtive, bier, deferential, differentiable, proffer, birr, bahar, differentiator, bairn, burnish, 117 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti ‘to be carrying’
different, offer, difference, reference, transfer, bear, suffer, extraordinary, relative, translation, relation, differ, referendum, referee, relate, frustration, fertility, borne, strangely, fertile, translate, extravagant, defer, confer, infer, fertilization, infra, extraneous, frustrate, strangeness, fertilize, ablation, elated, elation, collation, efferent, estrange, ablative, collate, dilate, 106 more
through Ancient Greek φέρω ‘to bring, bear, carry’
euphoria, semaphore, dysphoria, 25 more
through Ancient Greek φῶς ‘light’
Today it means
noun Any salt or ester of phosphoric acid.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- / phosphate