English
prosthetic
Prosthetic comes from Ancient Greek προσθετικός ‘adding’, from πρόσθεσις ‘addition’, and ultimately from προστίθημι ‘I add’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπροστίθημι1prostíthēmi‘I add’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπρόσθεσις1prósthesis‘addition’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπροσθετικός1prosthetikós‘adding’
- New Latinc. 1500–1900prostheticus1
- Englishearliest quotation 2003prosthetic1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English prosthetic
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2003, Penny Delamar: “The specialist makers of prosthetics are part chemist, part…”.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπροστίθημιWiktionary, English prostheticprostíthēmi‘I add’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπρόσθεσιςWiktionary, English prostheticprósthesis‘addition’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπροσθετικόςWiktionary, English prostheticprosthetikós‘adding’
- New Latinc. 1500–1900prostheticusWiktionary, English prosthetic
- Englishearliest quotation 2003prostheticWiktionary, English prosthetic. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2003, Penny Delamar: “The specialist makers of prosthetics are part chemist, part…”
A compound of πρός ‘towards’ + τίθημι ‘I place’
Proto-Indo-European *pró ‘forwards, before’
Proto-Indo-European *próti ‘towards’
Ancient Greek πρός ‘towards’
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to put, place’
Proto-Indo-European *dʰé-dʰeh₁-ti
Proto-Hellenic *t(e/i)tʰēmi
Ancient Greek τίθημι ‘I place’
Every English word from Ancient Greek προστίθημι
Today it means
adj Artificial, acting as a substitute for part of the body; relating to prosthesis.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “prosthetic”. 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 / Ancient Greek προστίθημι / prosthetic