hydrophobic etymology

Etymology:

• Hydro-: Greek "hydrō," meaning "water"
• -phob(e)-: Greek "phobos," meaning "fear"

Meaning:

Hydrophobic describes substances that repel or are averse to water.

Origin:

The term "hydrophobic" was first coined by the German chemist Franz Hofmeister in 1888. He used it to describe colloids (suspensions of fine particles in a liquid) that repelled water and aggregated together.

Hofmeister's research helped establish the concept of hydrophobicity in chemistry and biology. It became increasingly recognized that many organic molecules, such as lipids and hydrocarbons, exhibit hydrophobic properties.

Usage:

Hydrophobic substances play a crucial role in many biological processes:

• Cell membranes are composed of hydrophobic phospholipids, which form a barrier to water and other hydrophilic molecules.
• Proteins that interact with cell membranes often have hydrophobic regions that allow them to embed in the lipid bilayer.
• Hydrophobic interactions also contribute to the stability of many protein structures.

In addition to its biological significance, hydrophobicity is also important in various industrial and technological applications, such as:

• Waterproof coatings
• Anti-fouling paints
• Oil-based lubricants

hydrophobic relate terms

• hydrophobia

  Etymology hydro Gk water phobia Gk fear Meaning A morbid fear of water

• phobia

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• perspective

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• souvenir

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• lest

  Etymology The word lest comes from the Middle English word lesten meaning to preve

• baffle

  Etymology Middle English bafel to confuse or bewilder Old French baffler to del

• insidious

  Etymology The word insidious is derived from the Latin word insidiosus meaning craf

• serendipity

  Etymology The word serendipity comes from the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of

• cohort

  Etymology The word cohort originates from the Latin word cohors which means enclosed

• devotion

  Etymology The word devotion comes from the Latin word devotio which means dedicatio

• prodigal

  Etymology The word prodigal is derived from the Latin word prodīgus which means wa

• journey

  Etymology and Meaning The word journey originates from the Old French word journee