cholesterol

Where does the word "cholesterol" come from? It comes from Greek kholḗ + stereós, passing through French before entering English (1890s).

Cholesterol’s story begins in Greek: kholḗ + stereós meant “bile + solid.” 'bile' + 'solid', the parts from which the name was later built. By 1815, the word had taken hold in French as cholestérine. The substance had been extracted from gallstones in the 1760s; the chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul named it in 1815. It reached English by 1890s as cholesterol. The ending was changed to -ol once it was identified as an alcohol. Today, cholesterol means a waxy compound in cells and blood, high levels of which are linked to heart disease.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient kholḗ + stereós "bile + solid", 'bile' + 'solid', the parts from which the name was later built.
2. Stage 2 · French · 1815 cholestérine "solid bile substance", the substance had been extracted from gallstones in the 1760s; the chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul named it in 1815.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1890s cholesterol "steroid in cells and blood", the ending was changed to -ol once it was identified as an alcohol.