Where does “Pfaffian” come from?
Pfaffian (English) comes from English Pfaff, from Middle High German pfaffe, from Old High German pfaffo, from Latin papa, from Ancient Greek παπᾶς, from Old Norse súla, from Proto-Germanic sūliz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱsewl- — to scrape, shave, sharpen.
Pfaffian (English): The determinant of a skew-symmetric matrix,...
Definitions
- The determinant of a skew-symmetric matrix,...
Ancestry of “Pfaffian”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Pfaff | Indicating disapproval, scoffery, irritation, impatience or disbelief |
| 2 | Middle High German | pfaffe | — |
| 3 | Old High German | pfaffo | priest |
| 4 | Latin | papa | an infant's cry for food; father; bishop |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | παπᾶς | priest |
| 6 | Old Norse | súla | pillar, column |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | sūliz | beam, post; column, pillar |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱsewl- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱsew- | to scrape, shave, sharpen |