Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “centripetal” come from?

Centripetal comes from Latin petere through Ancient Greek κέντρον and κεντεῖν, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱent-.

centripetal (English): Directed or moving towards a centre; Of, relating...

Definitions

  1. Directed or moving towards a centre; Of, relating...

Ancestry of “centripetal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latincentripetalis—
2Latincentrumcenter ; centre
3Ancient GreekκέντρονSomething with a sharp point: point, spike, spur;...
4Proto-Hellenic*kéntron—
5Proto-Indo-European*ḱéntrom—

Words derived from “centripetal”

  • centripetally
  • centripetalism
  • subcentripetal
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *ḱéntrom →