The building blocks of English

Affixes

naphth(o)-

Napthalene.

Latin naphtha, from Greek, of Iranian origin.

Naphtha is a flammable oil containing various light hydrocarbons, obtained by distillation of coal, shale, or petroleum. Compounds related to it, both chemically and linguistically, include naphthalene (used in mothballs and as a raw material for chemical manufacture); the naphthenes (cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbons such as cyclohexane, isolated from naphtha); the naphthoquinones (a set of six isomeric compounds, one of which is a precursor to a vitamin K analogue); and naphthol, used as an antiseptic and to make dyes.