prophylactic的词源

英文词源

prophylactic: prophylactic: [16] Prophylactic comes from Greek prophulaktikós, a derivative of the verb prophulássein. This meant literally ‘keep guard in front of a place’, and hence ‘take precautions against’. It was formed from the prefix pro- ‘before’ and phulássein ‘guard’.
prophylactic (adj.): 1570s, originally of medicines, "that tends to prevent disease," from Middle French prophylactique (16c.) and directly as a Latinized borrowing of Greek prophylaktikos "precautionary," from prophylassein "keep guard before, ward off, be on one's guard," from pro- "before" (see pro-) + phylassein, Ionic variant of phylattein "to watch over, to guard," but also "cherish, keep, remain in, preserve" (see phylactery).

The noun is first recorded 1640s, "a medicine or treatment to prevent disease;" meaning "condom" is from 1943, replacing earlier preventive (1822), preventative (1901). Condoms originally were used more to thwart contagious disease than to prevent pregnancy.

pro-,提前，-phlact,看护，保护，词源同phylactery.后用于医学用语预防的。

该词的英语词源请访问找单词词源英文版：prophylactic 词源，prophylactic 含义。