Where does “Silicon Valley” come from?
Silicon Valley (English) comes from English Silicon, from English -ön, from English -one, from English ketone, from German Keton, from German Aketon, from French acétone, from Latin acētum — Forms adjectives from nouns, indicating the possession of a thing or a quality.
Silicon Valley (English): Originally, the region of the San Francisco Bay Area in which there were a high number of industries producing silicon chips; later extended to mean the entire concentration of high-tech businesses in this area
Definitions
- Originally, the region of the San Francisco Bay Area in which there were a high number of industries producing silicon chips; later extended to mean the entire concentration of high-tech businesses in this area
Ancestry of “Silicon Valley”, step by step
Silicon Valley traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Silicon
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Silicon | A nonmetallic element (symbol Si) with an atomic number of 14 and atomic weight of 28.0855 |
| 2 | English | -ön | Forming nouns denoting subatomic particles and quanta |
| 3 | English | -one | a ketone; any similar compound containing a... |
| 4 | English | ketone | A homologous series of organic molecules whose... |
| 5 | German | Keton | ketone |
| 6 | German | Aketon | acetone |
| 7 | French | acétone | acetone |
| 8 | Latin | acētum | vinegar |
| 9 | French | -ate | ate |
| 10 | Latin | -ātus | ed |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | -ātos | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -éh₂tos | Forms adjectives from nouns, indicating the possession of a thing or a quality |
via English valley
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | valley | An elongated depression between hills or... |
| 2 | Middle English | valeye | valley depression between hills |
| 3 | Old French | valee | valley |
| 4 | Old French | val | valley |
| 5 | Latin | vallis | valley, vale; hollow; dative plural of vāllum |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wēlH- | to roll, to undulate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | welH- | to turn, to wind |