English
inotropic
Inotropic comes from Ancient Greek τρόπος ‘turn, direction, way’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *trep-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*trep-1‘to turn’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτρέπω2‘turn, divert, turn back, rout an enemy’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτρόπος3‘turn, direction, way’
- Englishtodayinotropic3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek τρέπω, which cites Beekes
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek τρόπος
- 3 Wiktionary, English inotropic
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*trep-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek τρέπω, which cites Beekes‘to turn’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτρέπωWiktionary, Ancient Greek τρόπος‘turn, divert, turn back, rout an enemy’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτρόποςWiktionary, English inotropic‘turn, direction, way’
- EnglishtodayinotropicWiktionary, English inotropic
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *trep- ‘to turn’
thrive, intrepid, trepidation, turpitude, 28 more
through Ancient Greek τρέπω ‘turn, divert, turn back, rout an enemy’
through Ancient Greek τρόπος ‘turn, direction, way’
Today it means
adj Increasing or decreasing the force of muscular contractions.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “inotropic”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek τρέπω, Ancient Greek τρόπος. 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 *trep- / inotropic