Etymograph

English

lidoderm

Lidoderm comes from Ancient Greek δέρμα ‘skin’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *der- ‘to tear, tear apart’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*der-1‘to tear, tear apart’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*dérō1reconstructed
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδέρω2‘to skin, flay’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδέρμα3dérma‘skin’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2007lidoderm3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek δέρω
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek δέρμα
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English lidoderm
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, Yvonne M. D'Arcy, Marblehead: “What medication can John use to help control his…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*der-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek δέρω‘to tear, tear apart’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*dérōWiktionary, Ancient Greek δέρωreconstructed
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδέρωWiktionary, Ancient Greek δέρμα‘to skin, flay’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδέρμαWiktionary, English lidodermdérma‘skin’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2007lidodermWiktionary, English lidoderm. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, Yvonne M. D'Arcy, Marblehead: “What medication can John use to help control his…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *der- ‘to tear, tear apart’

truck, tear, tart, turd, tirade, tarn, 15 more

through Ancient Greek δέρω ‘to skin, flay’

pander, 8 more

through Ancient Greek δέρμα ‘skin’

dermatology, dermatitis, dermis, derma, 3 more

Today it means

noun A transdermal patch of lidocaine, used to help reduce pain or itching.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “lidoderm”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek δέρω, Ancient Greek δέρμα. 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 *der- / lidoderm

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