English
serine
Serine comes from Latin sēricus ‘silken’, and goes back to Ancient Greek σήρ ‘silkworm’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσήρsḗr‘silkworm’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσηρῐκόςsērĭkós‘silken, made of silk or like silk’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsēricus‘silken’
- Englishtodayserine
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσήρsḗr‘silkworm’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσηρῐκόςsērĭkós‘silken, made of silk or like silk’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsēricus‘silken’
- Englishtodayserine
The story
The compound was first obtained from silk protein, a particularly rich source, in 1865.
Linked words
through Ancient Greek σήρ ‘silkworm’
through Latin sēricus ‘silken’
Today it means
noun A nonessential amino acid, CH₂OH.CH(NH₂)COOH, found in most animal proteins, notably silk.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek σήρ / serine