English
molybdophyllite
Molybdophyllite comes from Ancient Greek μόλυβδος ‘lead’, from φύλλον ‘leaf’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleh₃-1‘leaf, blossom, flower’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰol-yom1reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφύλλον2phúllon‘leaf’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμόλυβδος2mólubdos‘lead’
- Englishtodaymolybdophyllite2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek φύλλον
- 2 Wiktionary, English molybdophyllite
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleh₃-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek φύλλον‘leaf, blossom, flower’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰol-yomWiktionary, Ancient Greek φύλλονreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφύλλονWiktionary, English molybdophyllitephúllon‘leaf’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμόλυβδοςWiktionary, English molybdophyllitemólubdos‘lead’
- EnglishtodaymolybdophylliteWiktionary, English molybdophyllite
The story
Note that the prefix molybdo- + here does NOT denote molybdenum; the element is named after the same Greek root.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- ‘leaf, blossom, flower’
full, blood, blow, flower, blade, bless, fool, bloom, floral, foil, bleed, flora, blossom, flourish, ferret, florist, fleur, folly, folio, flor, folic, belladonna, exfoliate, 54 more
through Ancient Greek μόλυβδος ‘lead’
plunge, plumber, plumb, plummet, aplomb, molybdenum, 14 more
Today it means
noun A hexagonal-trapezohedral mineral containing hydrogen, lead, magnesium, oxygen, and silicon.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “molybdophyllite”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek φύλλον. 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 *bʰleh₃- / molybdophyllite