transplant
transplant
UK[trænsˈplɑːnt]US[ˈtrænsˌplænt]
v
To move a living plant from one place and plant it in another.
v
To transfer an organ or piece of tissue from one body or body part to another.
n
An operation in which an organ or tissue is transplanted.
n
Something that has been transplanted, especially a plant.
Morpheme Breakdown
trans
plant
trans
across
plant
to set in the ground
Etymology
The word 'transplant' is a direct compound from Latin, formed by the prefix trans- ("across") and the verb plantare ("to plant, to set in place"). It entered English in the late 15th century with the literal botanical sense of moving a plant from one location to another. This core concept of relocation was logically extended in the mid-18th century to the surgical context, applying the same idea of uprooting and resetting to human tissue and organs. Thus, the word's journey perfectly illustrates how a concrete agricultural term evolved, through metaphorical borrowing, into a cornerstone of modern medical vocabulary.
Analysis
Structure: trans (across) + plant (to set in the ground)
- trans: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "across," "beyond," or "through." Its functional role is to indicate movement or change from one place or state to another.
- plant: Latin origin (from plantare, "to fix in place, plant"), its functional role is the core root denoting the concept of setting something firmly into the ground.
Examples
We need to transplant these seedlings to larger pots.
The patient received a life-saving heart transplant.
He struggled to adapt after his transplant to a new school overseas.