Etymograph

English

fructose

Fructose comes from Latin fructus ‘fruit’, from fruor ‘to engage (in)’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewHg- ‘to make use of’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰrewHg-1‘to make use of’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰruHgyéti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*frūgjōr1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*frūjōr1‘to engage in’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfruor1‘to engage (in)’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfructus2‘fruit’
  7. Englishtodayfructose2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin fructus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English fructose

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰrewHg-Wiktionary, Latin fructus‘to make use of’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰruHgyétiWiktionary, Latin fructusreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*frūgjōrWiktionary, Latin fructusreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*frūjōrWiktionary, Latin fructus‘to engage in’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfruorWiktionary, Latin fructus‘to engage (in)’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfructusWiktionary, English fructose‘fruit’
  7. EnglishtodayfructoseWiktionary, English fructose

Linked words

through Latin fruor ‘to engage (in)’

fruition, 5 more

through Latin fructus ‘fruit’

fruit, 9 more

Today it means

noun A monosaccharide ketose sugar, formula C₆H₁₂O₆.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “fructose”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin fructus. 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 *bʰrewHg- / fructose

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