*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of penam

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pes- Proto-Indo-European *pes-ni-s Proto-Italic *peznis Latin pēnis Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Proto-Italic *-kelos Latin -culus Latin pēn

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A bicyclic ring system containing a beta-lactam moiety fused with a five-member thiazolidine ring; the common core skeleton of the penicillin subclass of beta-lactam antibiotics.

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

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pes- Proto-Indo-European *pes-ni-s Proto-Italic *peznis Latin pēnis Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Proto-Italic *-kelos Latin -culus Latin pēniculus ▲ Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -lus Latin -illum Latin pēnicillum Translingual -ium Translingual Penicillium Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Italic *-īnos Latin -īnusder. Old French -inbor. Middle English -in English -ineclip. English -in English penicillin Latin lacder. English lacto- German Ketonbor. English ketone English -one English lac(tone) Egyptian jmnbor. Ancient Greek Ᾰ̓́μμων (Ắmmōn)bor. Latin Ammōn Latin ammoniacusder. English ammonia Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Italic *-iðos Latin -idusder. English -ide English am(ide) English lactam blend English penam Blend of penicillin + lactam.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*pes-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/pes-"
    ],
    [
      "pēnis",
      "penis#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*-lós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-lós#Proto-Indo-European:_agent_nouns"
    ],
    [
      "*-elos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-elos#Proto-Italic:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "*-kelos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-kelos"
    ],
    [
      "-culus",
      "-culus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "pēniculus",
      "peniculus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*-elos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-elos#Proto-Italic:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "-lus",
      "-lus#Latin:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "-illum",
      "-illus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "pēnicillum",
      "penicillum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-ium",
      "-ium#Translingual"
    ],
    [
      "Penicillium",
      "Penicillium#Translingual"
    ],
    [
      "*-nós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-nós#Proto-Indo-European:_verbal_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-iHnos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-iHnos#Proto-Indo-European:_adjectives_of_materials"
    ],
    [
      "*-īnos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-īnos"
    ],
    [
      "-īnus",
      "-inus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-in",
      "-in#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "-in",
      "-in#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-ine",
      "-ine#English:_pertaining_to"
    ],
    [
      "-in",
      "-in#English"
    ],
    [
      "penicillin",
      "penicillin#English"
    ],
    [
      "lac",
      "lac#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "lacto-",
      "lacto-#English"
    ],
    [
      "Keton",
      "Keton#German"
    ],
    [
      "ketone",
      "ketone#English:_chemistry"
    ],
    [
      "-one",
      "-one#English"
    ],
    [
      "lac(tone)",
      "lactone#English"
    ],
    [
      "jmn",
      "jmn#Egyptian:_hide"
    ],
    [
      "Ᾰ̓́μμων",
      "Ἄμμων#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "Ammōn",
      "Ammon#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ammoniacus",
      "ammoniacus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ammonia",
      "ammonia#English"
    ],
    [
      "*dʰeh₁-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dʰeh₁-#Proto-Indo-European:_do"
    ],
    [
      "*-iðos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-iðos"
    ],
    [
      "-idus",
      "-idus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-ide",
      "-ide#English:_chemical_suffix"
    ],
    [
      "am(ide)",
      "amide#English"
    ],
    [
      "lactam",
      "lactam#English"
    ],
    [
      "penicillin",
      "penicillin#English"
    ],
    [
      "lactam",
      "lactam#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
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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 penam →

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
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
w-cGVuYW0