English
azygos
Azygos comes from Ancient Greek ἄζυγος ‘unwedded, unpaired’, from ζυγόν ‘yoke’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *yewg-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yewg-1‘to yoke, harness, join’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yugóm2‘yoke’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*dzugón2‘yoke’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEζυγόν3‘yoke’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄζυγος4ázugos‘unwedded, unpaired’
- Englishtodayazygos4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *yugóm
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ζυγόν
- 3 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἄζυγος
- 4 Wiktionary, English azygos
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yewg-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *yugóm‘to yoke, harness, join’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yugómWiktionary, Ancient Greek ζυγόν‘yoke’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*dzugónWiktionary, Ancient Greek ζυγόν‘yoke’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEζυγόνWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἄζυγος‘yoke’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄζυγοςWiktionary, English azygosázugos‘unwedded, unpaired’
- EnglishtodayazygosWiktionary, English azygos
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *yewg- ‘to yoke, harness, join’
join, yoga, junction, adjunct, jodi, juncture, jugular, subjugate, yojana, 41 more
through Proto-Indo-European *yugóm ‘yoke’
yogi, yoke, conjugate, conjugation, yuga, 11 more
through Proto-Hellenic *dzugón ‘yoke’
Today it means
noun In anatomy, a structure that is unpaired. This is relatively unusual, as most elements of anatomy reflect bilateral symmetry.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “azygos”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *yugóm, Ancient Greek ζυγόν, Ancient Greek ἄζυγος. 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 *yewg- / azygos