Complex sentence: The word comes from Renaissance Latin "gnomus", which first appears in the works of 16th century Swiss alchemist Paracelsus, possibly deriving the term from Latin "gēnomos" (itself representing a Greek, literally "earth-dweller").
Split into simpler sentences: The word comes from Renaissance Latin "gnomus", which first appears in the works of 16th century Swiss alchemist Paracelsus. He is perhaps deriving the term from Latin "gēnomos" (itself representing a Greek, literally "earth-dweller").