English
pristane
Pristane comes from Latin pristis ‘shark’, from Ancient Greek πρίστις ‘saw, sawfish’, and ultimately from πρῐ́ω.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπρῐ́ωas πρίζω‘to saw’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπρίστιςprístis‘saw, sawfish’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpristis‘shark’
- Englishtodaypristane
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπρῐ́ωas πρίζω‘to saw’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπρίστιςprístis‘saw, sawfish’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpristis‘shark’
- Englishtodaypristane
Linked words
through Ancient Greek πρῐ́ω ‘to saw’
Today it means
noun A natural saturated terpenoid alkane, 2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane, used as a lubricant, an anticorrosion agent, and in medical research
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek πρῐ́ω / pristane