'protonate' originates from New Latin/modern English, specifically from the noun 'proton' combined with the chemical verb-forming suffix '-ate', where the Greek root 'protos' meant 'first'.

'proton' was coined from Greek 'protos' ('first') via New Latin 'proton' in scientific usage; this noun was later combined with the suffix '-ate' (used in chemistry to form verbs) to produce the modern English verb 'protonate' and its derived forms such as 'protonated'.

Initially, the Greek root 'protos' meant 'first'; in modern scientific usage 'proton' came to denote the positively charged hydrogen nucleus (H+), and 'protonate' evolved to mean 'to add a proton'.