Where does “evapotranspiration” come from?
Evapotranspiration combines English evaporation from Old French évaporation and Latin evaporatio, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)peys- meaning to scatter or spit, with transpiration from Latin trans and Proto-Indo-European terh₂-.
evapotranspiration (English): The transfer of water from the surface of the...
Definitions
- The transfer of water from the surface of the...
Ancestry of “evapotranspiration”, step by step
evapotranspiration traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English evaporation
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | evaporation | The process of a liquid converting to the gaseous... |
| 2 | French | évaporation | evaporation |
| 3 | Latin | evaporatio | evaporation |
| 4 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 5 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 6 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 7 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 8 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 9 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 10 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
via English transpiration
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | transpiration | The loss of water by evaporation in terrestrial... |
| 2 | Middle French | transpiration | — |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | transpiratio | — |
| 4 | Latin | transpiro | to transpire |
| 5 | Latin | trāns | across, beyond |
| 6 | Latin | Padus | the River Po |
| 7 | Lepontic | Bodincus | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰudʰmḗn | bottom |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewbʰ- | deep |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |