Etymograph

English

lactonase

Lactonase comes from Ancient Greek δῐᾰ́στᾰσῐς ‘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*stísteh₂ti1‘to be standing up, to be getting up’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*hístāmi1‘to stand’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEῐ̔́στημῐ1hĭ́stēmĭ‘to stand’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδῐῐ̈́στημῐ1dĭĭ̈́stēmĭ‘to set apart, place separately’
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδῐᾰ́στᾰσῐς1dĭắstăsĭs‘separation’
  7. English1500–presentdiastase1
  8. Englishtodaylactonase1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English lactonase

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-Wiktionary, English lactonase‘to stand (up)’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stísteh₂tiWiktionary, English lactonase‘to be standing up, to be getting up’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*hístāmiWiktionary, English lactonase‘to stand’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEῐ̔́στημῐWiktionary, English lactonasehĭ́stēmĭ‘to stand’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδῐῐ̈́στημῐWiktionary, English lactonasedĭĭ̈́stēmĭ‘to set apart, place separately’
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδῐᾰ́στᾰσῐςWiktionary, English lactonasedĭắstăsĭs‘separation’
  7. English1500–presentdiastaseWiktionary, English lactonase
  8. EnglishtodaylactonaseWiktionary, English lactonase

A compound of lactone + -ase

Latin lac ‘milk’

German Keton ‘ketone’

English ketone

English lactone

Linked words

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

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

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

assistant, assistance, consistent, assist, resist, insist, persistent, consist, 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 A metalloenzyme, produced by certain bacteria, that targets and inactivates acylated homoserine lactones (AHLs)

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “lactonase”. 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- / lactonase

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