I am pondering the morphological structure of < therapeutic > and < pharmaceutical >. When looking at the Greek roots I can analyze the spelling with the exception of < eu >. I see that < eu > is a prefix in Greek with a sense of “well,” however, I can’t find an analysis of < eu > as a stem suffix.
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5Well, it’s definitely a derivative suffix – not related to the prefix meaning ‘good’. Wiktionary has an overview of what types of nouns -εύς forms. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Jun 25 '23 at 17:42
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5What do you mean by "element"? It's a diphthong, are diphthongs elements? – user6726 Jun 25 '23 at 18:31
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-εύω is a standard Greek verb suffix: denominative; so θεραπεύω (ΙΙ.4) is to heal, to cure, the only meaning surviving today in that language. The τ enters the agentive θεραπευτής, whence the adjective for the property, θεραπευτικός.
It has entered English in the 16th century. (There is a slippery glitch around the τ in that description.)
(Geeky): In case you might care, according to the ultimate expert, Beekes, the -εύς ending may well have entered Greek from (non-IE) Pre-Greek,
Though the ending may also be inherited from lE, in many words it is clearly of Pre-Greek origin, e.g. βασιλεύς (Myc. qa-si-re-u), Ἀχιλλεύς.
Cosmas Zachos
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3Though of course Beekes attributes practically everything to Pre-Greek even when there are plausible IE etymologies. – Draconis Jun 30 '23 at 21:38
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@Draconis Deniably, as here... but yes, his triumphs have entrenched an experiential bias there... Too many nails for the hammer wielder... – Cosmas Zachos Jun 30 '23 at 21:43