Where does “meter” come from?
meter (Dutch) comes from French mètre, from Latin metrum, from Ancient Greek μέτρον, from Ancient Greek -τρον, from Proto-Hellenic -tron, from Proto-Indo-European -trom, from Proto-Indo-European -tḗr — Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
meter (Dutch): measurer; meter; meter, metre
Definitions
- measurer; meter; meter, metre
Ancestry of “meter”, step by step
meter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French mètre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | mètre | metre/meter; first-person singular present... |
| 2 | Latin | metrum | a measure |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |