PABA-modified
|PABA-mod-i-fied|
🇺🇸
/ˈpeɪbə ˈmɑdəˌfaɪd/ or /ˌpiː eɪ biː ˈeɪ ˈmɑdəˌfaɪd/
🇬🇧
/ˈpeɪbə ˈmɒdɪˌfaɪd/ or /ˌpiː eɪ biː ˈeɪ ˈmɒdɪˌfaɪd/
modified by PABA
Etymology
'PABA-modified' combines the acronym 'PABA' (from 'para-aminobenzoic acid') with the past-participle adjective 'modified' (from 'modify'). 'PABA' itself abbreviates the chemical name 'para-aminobenzoic acid.'
'modify' originates from Latin 'modificare' (where 'modus' meant 'measure, manner' and '-ficare' from 'facere' meant 'to make'), which passed into Old French and Middle English as 'modifien'/'modifyen' and eventually became modern English 'modify.' The construction using a chemical acronym + '-modified' is a modern scientific/technical formation (20th century onward) to indicate that a substrate has been chemically altered by the named reagent or group.
Originally, 'modify' meant 'to make in a certain way' or 'to limit/measure a condition'; in modern scientific usage it commonly means 'to change chemically or functionally.' The compound 'PABA-modified' now specifically denotes modification involving PABA.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
past participle form indicating that something has been modified by PABA (used when describing the action/result).
The compound was PABA-modified to test its photostability.
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Adjective 1
chemically or functionally modified by para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA); treated, conjugated, or functionalized with PABA.
The research team used a PABA-modified polymer to improve UV absorption in the coating.
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Last updated: 2025/10/16 18:24