Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "pneumonia" come from? It comes from Greek pneumōn, passing through New Latin before entering English (1600s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "pneumonia" come from? It comes from Greek pneumōn, passing through New Latin before entering English (1600s).
Pneumonia’s story begins in Greek: pneumōn meant “lung.” From 'pnein', to breathe; related to 'pneuma', breath. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in New Latin as pneumonia. Medical coinage for lung disease. It reached English by 1600s as pneumonia. The p is silent in English but pronounced in Greek. Today, pneumonia means an infection that inflames the lungs.
- Stage 1 · Greek · ancient pneumōn "lung", from 'pnein', to breathe; related to 'pneuma', breath.
- Stage 2 · New Latin · 1600s pneumonia "lung inflammation", medical coinage for lung disease.
- Stage 3 · English · 1600s pneumonia "lung infection", the p is silent in English but pronounced in Greek.