Etymograph

English

diastase

Diastase comes from Ancient Greek διάστασις ‘separation’, from ῐ̔́στημῐ ‘to stand’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-1‘to stand up’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stísteh₂ti2‘to be standing up, to be getting up’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*hístāmi2‘to stand’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEῐ̔́στημῐ3‘to stand’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδῐῐ̈́στημῐ4dĭĭ̈́stēmĭ‘separate, stand apart’
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδιάστασις5diástasis‘separation’
  7. Englishtodaydiastase5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἵστημι
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek διΐστημι
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek διάστασις
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English diastase

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti‘to stand up’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stísteh₂tiWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἵστημι‘to be standing up, to be getting up’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*hístāmiWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἵστημι‘to stand’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEῐ̔́στημῐWiktionary, Ancient Greek διΐστημι‘to stand’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδῐῐ̈́στημῐWiktionary, Ancient Greek διάστασιςdĭĭ̈́stēmĭ‘separate, stand apart’
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδιάστασιςWiktionary, English diastasediástasis‘separation’
  7. EnglishtodaydiastaseWiktionary, English diastase

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand up’

state, post, rest, stay, stand, constitution, contest, stood, distance, instance, establishment, establish, destination, stable, stem, stadium, testimony, destiny, stability, instant, substance, distant, prostitution, stud, prostitute, stationary, stool, substitution, attest, extant, stamina, stale, stead, destitute, stow, testimonial, oust, astute, detest, distal, 137 more

through Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti ‘to be standing up, to be getting up’

consistent, assistant, assistance, assist, resist, insist, consist, persistent, persist, armistice, subsistence, solstice, desist, metastatic, hydrostatic, existentialist, 30 more

through Proto-Hellenic *hístāmi ‘to stand’

system, static, histone, stater, 26 more

Today it means

noun Any one of a group of enzymes which catalyse the breakdown of starch into maltose; mostly amylases (α-amylase and β-amylase).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “diastase”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti, Ancient Greek ἵστημι, Ancient Greek διΐστημι, Ancient Greek διάστασις. 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 *steh₂- / diastase

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