English
allotrope
Allotrope comes from Ancient Greek ἄλλος ‘other’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-1‘beyond, other’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂élyos2‘other, another’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄλλος3állos‘other’
- Englishtodayallotrope3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἄλλος
- 3 Wiktionary, English allotrope
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos‘beyond, other’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂élyosWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἄλλος‘other, another’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄλλοςWiktionary, English allotropeállos‘other’
- EnglishtodayallotropeWiktionary, English allotrope
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- ‘beyond, other’
as, all, old, adult, el, ultimate, element, elder, ultra, alter, ellen, ou, altitude, qualification, alumni, outrage, altar, adolescent, alt, abolish, alpine, alias, alto, alum, alienation, retaliate, auld, alimony, ulterior, alienate, proletariat, alp, inalienable, coalesce, exalt, foetal, althea, aad, eld, altimeter, 57 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos ‘other, another’
else, alien, alternate, adultery, altercation, alibi, altruism, alternation, 31 more
through Ancient Greek ἄλλος ‘other’
Today it means
noun Any form of an element that has a distinctly different molecular structure to another form of the same element, with different physical properties and often different chemical properties.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “allotrope”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos, Ancient Greek ἄλλος. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- / allotrope