English
prolactin
Prolactin comes from Ancient Greek πρό ‘before’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *pró.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pró‘forwards, before’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*próreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπρόpró‘before’
- Englishearliest quotation 2019prolactin
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pró‘forwards, before’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*próreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπρόpró‘before’
- Englishearliest quotation 2019prolactin
Earliest quotation: 2019, Sara Pascoe: “Men get a dose of the hormone prolactin after…”
Formed from pro- + lact- + -in
Proto-Indo-European *pér ‘through’
Proto-Indo-European *pró ‘forwards, before’
Proto-Italic *prō ‘in front of, before’
Latin prō ‘in favor of, on behalf of’
English pro-
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pró ‘forwards, before’
prior, pro, prominent, 10 more
through Ancient Greek πρό ‘before’
Today it means
noun A peptide gonadotrophic hormone secreted by the pituitary gland; it stimulates growth of the mammary glands and lactation in females.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pró / prolactin