English
hapaxanth
Hapaxanth comes from Ancient Greek ἅπαξ ‘once’, from Proto-Indo-European *sm̥- ‘one’, and ultimately from *sem- ‘one’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sem-1‘one’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sm̥-1‘one’reconstructedzero-grade of *sem-
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἅπαξ2hápax‘once’
- Englishtodayhapaxanth2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἅπαξ
- 2 Wiktionary, English hapaxanth
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sem-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἅπαξ‘one’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sm̥-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἅπαξ‘one’reconstructedzero-grade of *sem-
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἅπαξWiktionary, English hapaxanthhápax‘once’
- EnglishtodayhapaxanthWiktionary, English hapaxanth
The story
The term was first used by Alexander Braun.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *sem- ‘one’
some, same, single, similar, seem, simple, simply, soft, sam, simulation, sincerely, singular, resemble, assemble, resemblance, simulate, simultaneous, sincerity, anomaly, assimilate, semblance, anomalous, homology, insincere, hyphen, synapse, homeopathic, simile, simulacrum, sempre, synchronise, homolog, 45 more
through Proto-Indo-European *sm̥- ‘one’
Today it means
noun A plant of a kind that flowers only once in its lifetime and then dies.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “hapaxanth”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek ἅπαξ. 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 *sem- / hapaxanth