Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cinematography” come from?

Cinematography comes from French cinématographie, derived from French cinématographe, which combines Ancient Greek κινέω (kinéō, to move) with Latin -ia.

cinematography (English): The art, process, or job of filming movies;...

Definitions

  1. The art, process, or job of filming movies;...

Ancestry of “cinematography”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcinematographA camera that could develop its own film and...
2Frenchcinématographecinematograph
3French-graphe-graph; -grapher
4Latin-graphus—
5Ancient Greek-γράφοςwriter, painter
6Ancient Greekγράφωto scratch, cut into; to draw, sketch, paint; to...
7Proto-Hellenicgrəpʰōto scratch, cut or carve into; to draw ,...
8Proto-Indo-Europeangerbʰ-to carve
9Proto-Indo-Europeanger-to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind...

Words derived from “cinematography”

  • cinematographer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ger- →