English
atomus
Atomus comes from Latin atomus ‘an atom, particle incapable of being divided’, from Ancient Greek τέμνω ‘to cut’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *temh₁-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temh₁-1‘to cut’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tm̥-né-h₁-ti1reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτέμνω2témnō‘to cut’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄτομος3átomos‘indivisible, not capable of being cut/divided into smaller pieces’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEatomus3‘an atom, particle incapable of being divided’
- Englishtodayatomus3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek τέμνω
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἄτομος
- 3 Wiktionary, English atomus
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temh₁-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek τέμνω‘to cut’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tm̥-né-h₁-tiWiktionary, Ancient Greek τέμνωreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτέμνωWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἄτομοςtémnō‘to cut’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄτομοςWiktionary, English atomusátomos‘indivisible, not capable of being cut/divided into smaller pieces’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEatomusWiktionary, English atomus‘an atom, particle incapable of being divided’
- EnglishtodayatomusWiktionary, English atomus
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *temh₁- ‘to cut’
contempt, templar, tempestuous, 35 more
through Ancient Greek τέμνω ‘to cut’
Today it means
noun Synonym of atom.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “atomus”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek τέμνω, Ancient Greek ἄτομος. 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 *temh₁- / atomus