Re: USAGE: -on (was: Re: Ancient conlang)

On Fri, 16 Jan 2004 05:39:03 -0500, Tristan McLeay <zsau@...>
wrote:

>On Fri, 16 Jan 2004, Andreas Johansson wrote:
>
>> Tangentially, is the ending -on occuring on so many particle-names
(proton,
>> muon, gluon, tachyon, et sim) simply generalized from 'electron', or is
it a
>> valid, so to speak, Greek affix for deriving nouns?
>
>It seems not: According to dictionary.com,
>-on1
>suff.
>
>   1.
>         1. Subatomic particle: baryon.
>         2. Unit; quantum: photon.
>   2. Basic hereditary unit: codon.
>
>
>[From ion]
>
>(Electron is claimed to be derived from electr(ic) + -on1)
>
>-on2
>suff.
>
>    Inert gas: radon.
>
>
>[New Latin, from (arg)on.]
>
>-on3
>suff.
>
>    A chemical compound that is not a ketone or a compound that contains
>oxygen in a carbonyl group: parathion.
>
>
>[Alteration of -one.]
Originally, Greek -on was the productive suffix for neuter nouns.  It was
generally used in deriving places and inanimate objects.  Greek "photon," I
believe, meant "particle of light" (from Gr. phws, stem phot- "light").
The word "elektron" is Greek for "amber."

- Rob