Where does “asymmetric” come from?
Asymmetric comes from English a- (a prefix meaning "not") combined with symmetric, which derives from Latin ad- and Latin ad meaning "toward," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂epo meaning "off" or "away" and Proto-Indo-European al- meaning "to grow" or "nourish."
asymmetric (English): Not symmetric; Not involving a mutual exchange of...
Definitions
- Not symmetric; Not involving a mutual exchange of...
Ancestry of “asymmetric”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | symmetric | Symmetrical; Of a relation "R" on a set "S", such... |
| 2 | English | symmetry | Exact correspondence on either side of a dividing... |
| 3 | Latin | symmetria | symmetry, proportion |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | συμμετρία | commensurability; symmetry, due proportion; a... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | σύμμετρος | symmetrical |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |