Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “geostrophic” come from?

Geostrophic comes from Ancient Greek γεω- and Ancient Greek γῆ, meaning earth, combined with the Greek element for turning or direction.

geostrophic (English): Relating to the balance, in the atmosphere,...

Definitions

  1. Relating to the balance, in the atmosphere,...

Ancestry of “geostrophic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekστροφήturning; revolving; twisting
2Ancient Greek-ή—
3Ancient Greek-ᾱnominal suffix
4Proto-Indo-European-éh₂—

Words derived from “geostrophic”

  • quasigeostrophic
  • ageostrophic
  • geostrophically
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂ →