Etymology Map
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Cholesterol

3 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means a waxy compound in cells and blood, high levels of which are linked to heart disease

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

1
Stage 1 of 3
kholḗ + stereós
Greek · ancient
"bile + solid"
'bile' + 'solid', the parts from which the name was later built
2
Stage 2 of 3
cholestérine
French · 1815
"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 of 3
cholesterol
English · 1890s
"steroid in cells and blood"
the ending was changed to -ol once it was identified as an alcohol
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Read the full story

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.