English
protein
From proto- + -ein.
Formed from proto- + ein
Proto-Indo-European *pér ‘through’
Proto-Indo-European *pró ‘forwards, before’
Proto-Hellenic *pró
Ancient Greek πρό ‘before’
Ancient Greek πρῶτος ‘first’
English proto-
The story
Suggested by Jöns Jacob Berzelius in a letter to Gerardus Johannes Mulder, from French protéine and German Protein, both coined based on Ancient Greek πρωτεῖος (prōteîos, “primary”), from πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”).
Today it means
noun Any of numerous large, complex naturally-produced molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids, in which the amino acid groups are held together by peptide bonds.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / protein