Are all PH words from Greek?
All of the words that you mentioned are Greek in origin, and they all contained the Greek letter φ (phi). In Classical Greek this was pronounced as an aspirated [pʰ], which the Latins wrote as ph when they borrowed the words from Greek.
Why are many English words derived from ancient Greek?
English (and most other Western-European languages) adopted many words from Latin and Greek throughout history, because especially Latin was the Lingua Franca all through Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and later.
Why is elephant spelled with PH?
The word elephant ultimately comes from the Ancient Greek word ἐλέφᾱς (eléphās) via the Latin word elephantus. It was actually sometimes spelt elefant in Middle English but the “ph” spelling ended up winning out, because scholars liked being true to the Latin/Greek spelling.
Where does ph come from?
The term “pH” comes from the German word “potenz,” which means “power,” combined with H, the element symbol for hydrogen, so pH is an abbreviation for “power of hydrogen.”
Is Elephas Greek or Latin?
The first one, elephantus (or sometimes elephas or elephans), is fairly straightforward. It’s used in Latin from about the second century BC, and it’s a borrowing of the Greek word ὁ ἐλέφας, –αντος. That’s the normal Greek word for both African and Indian elephants, and is also used in Homer to mean “ivory”.
Why does Ugh say F?
-gh- came about because of French influence after they invaded us in 1066. But then the gh became silent or became an “f” sound. But some of the -ugh- words with the “f” sound were originally pronounced with an ‘f’ in some northern dialects of that time.
What is the pH of blood?
The acidity and alkalinity of your blood are measured using the pH scale. The pH scale ranges from 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very alkaline). Blood is usually between 7.35 to 7.45.
What is the full name of pH?
potential of hydrogen
The letters pH stand for potential of hydrogen, since pH is effectively a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions (that is, protons) in a substance. The pH scale was devised in 1923 by Danish biochemist Søren Peter Lauritz Sørensen (1868-1969).
How did the English language get its Greek loanwords?
English continued to borrow from Greek through Latin during the Old English period. However, most of the Greek loanwords in English were borrowed during the Early Modern English period by scholars, scientists, writers, and other highly educated English speakers.
What is loanword in English?
In lexicology, a loanword (also spelled loan word) is a word (or lexeme) imported into one language from another language. These words are also called a borrowed word or a borrowing. The term loanword, from the German Lehnwort, is an example of a calque or loan translation. The terms loanword and borrowing are, at best, imprecise.
What is it called when a word is borrowed?
In lexicology, a loanword (also spelled loan word) is a word (or lexeme) imported into one language from another language. Also called a borrowed word or a borrowing. Over the past 1,500 years, English has adopted words from more than 300 other languages.
What is an example of loan translation?
The term loanword, from the German Lehnwort, is an example of a calque or loan translation. The terms loanword and borrowing are, at best, imprecise. As countless linguists have pointed out, it’s extremely unlikely that a borrowed word will ever be returned to the donor language.