Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “entropy” come from?

Entropy derives from German Entropie, from Ancient Greek ἐντροπία, formed with the suffix Ancient Greek -ία and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -h₂.

entropy (English): strictly thermodynamic entropy. A measure of the...

Definitions

  1. strictly thermodynamic entropy. A measure of the...

Ancestry of “entropy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanEntropieentropy
2Ancient Greekτροπήa turning; turning away the enemy, a rout;...
3Ancient Greek-ή—
4Ancient Greek-ᾱnominal suffix
5Proto-Indo-European-éh₂—

Words derived from “entropy”

  • entropic
  • isentropic
  • entropically
  • isentropically
  • antientropic
  • isoentropic
  • nonentropic
  • homentropic
  • entropylike
  • equientropic
  • anentropic
  • entropyless
  • anentropy
  • subentropy
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂ →