Etymograph

English

photoactivity

Photoactivity comes from Latin āctīvitās ‘activity, movement, action’, from agō ‘to act, to behave’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti‘to be driving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*agō‘to drive’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagō‘to act, to behave’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctīvus‘active’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctīvitās‘activity, movement, action’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600activité
  8. English1500–presentactivity
  9. Englishtodayphotoactivity

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti‘to be driving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*agō‘to drive’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagō‘to act, to behave’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctīvus‘active’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctīvitās‘activity, movement, action’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600activité
  8. English1500–presentactivity
  9. Englishtodayphotoactivity

A compound of photo- + activity

Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to shine, glow light’

Proto-Indo-European *bʰéh₂os

Proto-Hellenic *pʰáwos

Ancient Greek φᾰ́ος ‘light’

Ancient Greek φῶς ‘light’

English photo-

Latin āctīvitās ‘activity’

Middle French activité

English activity

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-

suggest, register, essay, gesture, acre, digest, congestion, agrarian, belligerent, progesterone, gestation, ingestion, ingest, agitate, axiomatic, agger, samaj, gerund, gestion, 128 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti ‘to be driving’

strategy, agony, antagonist, axiom, reactionary, antagonism, agonist, antagonize, stratagem, glucagon, agonize, 102 more

through Proto-Italic *agō ‘to drive’

reaction, transaction, unambiguous, reagent, ambiguously, 80 more

through Latin agō ‘to act, to behave’

act, agency, action, agent, actual, agenda, actor, examine, examination, actively, ambiguous, squat, agile, assay, radioactive, ambiguity, enact, inactive, agility, agitation, cogent, actuator, retroactive, exigent, actuation, inexact, actuate, redact, 92 more

through Latin āctīvus ‘active’

active, activate, radium, 27 more

through English activity

hyperactivity, 18 more

Today it means

noun The condition of being photoactive

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- / photoactivity