Science & TechnologyGreek → English
Epoxy
/ɪˈpɒksi/noun
A tough synthetic resin that hardens when mixed with a curing agent, used as a structural adhesive.
The Greek roots
ἐπί
epí
upon, over
ὀξύς
oxýs
sharp, acid
Literally: “oxygen laid across”
The story of the word
Chemists named the epoxide group for a single oxygen atom bridged across two carbons: epi over, oxy from oxygen. Oxygen is itself a piece of Greek built on a mistake, coined by Lavoisier as acid-former because he believed every acid contained it. Pierre Castan patented the first workable epoxy resin in 1936, and the aerospace industry has leaned on the stuff ever since.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → scientific coinage → English
Same family
oxygenoxideepidermisparoxysm
In a sentence
Mix the epoxy in equal parts and you have about four minutes before it stops behaving.