An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A branch of physics that studies the methods of producing very low temperatures (below 150 °C) and the behavior of materials and processes at those temperatures.

Etymology (EN): From cryo- “freezing” + -gen(y) “having to do with production” + -ics.
Cryo-, from Gk. kryos “icy cold,” krystallos “ice, crystal,” PIE base *kreus- “to begin to freeze, form a crust;” cf. L. crusta “crust, shell, bark,” Skt. krud- “make hard, thicken;” Av. xruzdra- “hard,” Lett. kruwesis “frozen mud;” O.H.G. hrosa “ice, crust;” O.E. hruse “earth.”
-geny, from Gk. geneia, from genes “born,” cf. Av. zan- “to bear, give birth to a child, be born,” infinitive zazâite, zâta- “born,” cf. Skt. janati “begets, bears,” L. gignere “to beget,” PIE base *gen- “to give birth, beget.”
→ -ics.

Etymology (PE): Zamâzâyik, from zam “cold (weather)” + zâyi “generating”

• -ik.
  

Mod.Pers. zam “cold,” Mid.Pers. zam “winter,” Av. zimô “winter,” Skt. hima- “cold, frost,” Ossetic zymæg/zumæg “winter,” Gk. xeimon “winter,” L. hiems “winter,” Lith. ziema “winter,” PIE *gheim- “snow, winter.”
Zâyi, from zâ- present tense stem of zâdan “to give birth,” Mid.Pers. zâtan, Av. zan- “to bear, give birth to a child, be born,” infinitive zazâite, zâta- “born,” cf. Skt. janati “begets, bears,” L. gignere “to beget,”
PIE base *gen- “to give birth, beget,” as above.
→ -ics.