English
proton
Proton comes from Ancient Greek πρῶτον, from πρό ‘before, in front of’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pér ‘through’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pér‘through’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pró‘forwards, before’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*próreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπρόpró‘before, in front of’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπρῶτονprôton
- Englishearliest quotation 1898proton
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pér‘through’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pró‘forwards, before’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*próreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπρόpró‘before, in front of’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπρῶτονprôton
- Englishearliest quotation 1898proton
Earliest quotation: 1898, Contributed Articles: “It is a well authenticated fact that, in the…”
Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- ‘on’
Proto-Germanic *an ‘on’
Proto-West Germanic *ana
Old English on ‘on’
Middle English on ‘on’
English on
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *per-
first, before, support, far, per, report, further, private, price, fear, opportunity, press, practice, port, primary, pre, afford, appreciate, prime, ford, forth, pregnant, prize, practical, parade, par, precious, praise, ferry, privilege, pirate, interpretation, fare, porch, primitive, pardon, prix, peril, interpreter, afar, 157 more
through Proto-Indo-European *pró ‘forwards, before’
prior, pro, prominent, 10 more
through Ancient Greek πρό ‘before, in front of’
Today it means
noun A positively charged subatomic particle forming part of the nucleus of an atom and determining the atomic number of an element, composed of two up quarks and a down quark.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pér / proton