Where does “electricity” come from?
Electricity comes from English electric plus the French suffix -ité, derived from Latin -itas, which traces back through Proto-Indo-European -it-.
electricity (English): Originally, a property of amber and certain other...
Definitions
- Originally, a property of amber and certain other...
Ancestry of “electricity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | electric | Of, relating to, produced by, operated with, or... |
| 2 | English | -ally | used with adjectives ending in -ic |
| 3 | English | ahistoric | Synonym of ahistorical |
| 4 | English | historic | Very important; noteworthy: having importance or... |
| 5 | Latin | historicus | historical |
| 6 | Latin | historia | history; account; story |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ἱστορία | inquiry, examination, systematic observation,... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | ἱστορέω | to inquire, ask; to examine, observe; to record,... |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | ἵστωρ | one who knows law and right, judge; witness; a... |
| 10 | Proto-Hellenic | wístōr | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | wéydtōr | one who has seen, one who knows |
| 12 | Indo-European | *weyd- | — |
Words derived from “electricity”
- hydroelectricity
- piezoelectricity
- electret
- ferroelectricity
- bioelectricity
- thermoelectricity
- pyroelectricity
- magnetoelectricity
- dielectricity
- photoelectricity
- flexoelectricity
- triboelectricity
- lecky
- antiferroelectricity
- geoelectricity
- myoelectricity
- electrickery
- radioelectricity
- paraelectricity
- électricité
- hydricity
- magnetricity
- elektriciteit
- ferrielectricity