*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -on

Etymology tree Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron)bor. Latin ēlectrum Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus New Latin ēlectricusbor. English electric Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- Proto-Indo-European *h₁é

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
suffix

Forming nouns denoting subatomic particles and quanta.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron)bor. Latin ēlectrum Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus New Latin ēlectricusbor. English electric Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- Proto-Indo-European *h₁éyti Proto-Hellenic *éimi Ancient Greek ἰόν (ión)der. English ion blend English electronbf. ▲ Ancient Greek -ον (-on)influ. English -on Back-formation from electron, influenced by Ancient Greek -ον (-on).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    ],
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      "ēlectrum",
      "electrum#Latin:_amber"
    ],
    [
      "*-ikos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-ikos"
    ],
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      "*-ikos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-ikos#Proto-Italic:_-ic"
    ],
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      "-icus",
      "-icus#Latin:_adjectival_suffix"
    ],
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      "ēlectricus",
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    ],
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      "electric",
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    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁ey-#Proto-Indo-European:_go"
    ],
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      "*h₁éyti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁éyti"
    ],
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      "*éimi",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Hellenic/éimi#Proto-Hellenic:_to_go"
    ],
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      "ἰόν",
      "εἶμι#Ancient_Greek:_to_go"
    ],
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      "ion",
      "ion#English:_particle"
    ],
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      "electron",
      "electron#English"
    ],
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      "-ον",
      "-ον#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
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      "electron",
      "electron#English"
    ],
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      "-ον",
      "-ον#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
suffix

Forming names of noble gases and certain nonmetal elements.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Back-formation from carbon, first applied to boron and then to silicon.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    ],
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    ]
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
suffix

Forming names of things considered as basic or fundamental units.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

No narrative was extracted for this section. Available source templates and references appear below; no ancestor chain has been invented to fill the gap.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
suffix

Forms names for chemical compounds, often proprietary.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From the combining form of -one, as in sulfon-ic. Compare also -thion.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -on →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LW9u